[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3266 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3266

To require Congress and Federal departments and agencies to reduce the 
       annual consumption of gasoline of the Federal Government.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 15, 2008

  Mr. Warner introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require Congress and Federal departments and agencies to reduce the 
       annual consumption of gasoline of the Federal Government.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Immediate Steps to Conserve Gasoline 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FEDERAL CONSERVATION OF GASOLINE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) each day, as Americans contend with rising gasoline 
        prices, personal stories reflect the ways in which Americans 
        are altering their family budgets, including food budgets, to 
        cope with record high gasoline costs;
            (2) as a consequence of economic pressures, Americans are 
        taking initiatives to reduce consumption of gasoline, such as--
                    (A) driving less frequently;
                    (B) altering daily routines; and
                    (C) changing, or even cancelling, family vacation 
                plans;
            (3) the conservation efforts being taken by Americans, on 
        their own initiative, bring hardships but save funds that can 
        be redirected--
                    (A) to meet essential family needs; and
                    (B) to relieve, to some extent, the demand for 
                gasoline;
            (4) just as individuals are taking initiatives to reduce 
        gasoline consumption, the Federal Government, including 
        Congress, should take initiatives to conserve gasoline;
            (5) such Government-wide initiatives to conserve gasoline 
        would send a signal to Americans that the Federal Government--
                    (A) recognizes the burdens imposed by unprecedented 
                gasoline costs; and
                    (B) will participate in activities to reduce 
                gasoline consumption;
            (6) an overall reduction of gasoline consumption by the 
        Federal Government by even 3 percentage points would send a 
        strong signal that, as a nation, the United States is working 
        to conserve energy;
            (7) in 2005, policies directed at reducing the usage of 
        energy in Federal agency and department buildings by 20 percent 
        by 2015, at a rate of a 2-percent reduction per calendar year, 
        were enacted by the President and Congress;
            (8) in 2007, policies increasing the energy reduction goal 
        to 30 percent by 2015, at a rate of a 3-percent reduction per 
        calendar year, were enacted by the President and Congress; and
            (9) Congress and the President should extend the precedent 
        of those mandatory conservation initiatives taken in 2005 and 
        2007 to usage by the Federal Government of gasoline.
    (b) Reduction of Gasoline Usage by Federal Departments and 
Agencies.--For fiscal year 2009, each Federal department and agency 
shall develop and carry out initiatives to reduce by not less than 3 
percent the annual consumption of gasoline by the department or agency.
    (c) Congressional Conservation of Gasoline.--For fiscal year 2009, 
Congress shall develop and carry out initiatives to reduce by not less 
than 3 percent the annual consumption of gasoline by Congress.

SEC. 3. STUDIES AND REPORTS ON NATIONAL SPEED LIMIT AND FUTURE GASOLINE 
              CONSERVATION.

    (a) National Speed Limit.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Energy 
        Information Administration shall conduct, and submit to 
        Congress a report describing the results of, a study of the 
        potential transportation fuel savings of imposing a national 
        speed limit on highways on the Interstate System of 60 miles 
        per hour.
            (2) Inclusions.--The study under paragraph (1) shall 
        include--
                    (A) an examination of the fuel efficiency of 
                automobiles in use as of the date on which the study is 
                conducted;
                    (B) a description of the range at which those 
                automobiles are most fuel-efficient on highways on the 
                Interstate System;
                    (C) an analysis of actions carried out by the 
                Federal Government, with the full support of Congress, 
                during the 1973-1974 energy crisis, resulting in a 
                national speed limit on highways on the Interstate 
                System of 55 miles per hour, which remained in effect 
                until 1995;
                    (D) a recognition that in 1974, when fewer than 
                137,000,000 cars traveled in the United States (as 
                compared to 250,000,000 cars in 2006) and only 30 
                percent of United States oil was imported from foreign 
                sources (as compared to 60 percent of oil so imported 
                on the date of enactment of this Act), 167,000 barrels 
                of oil per day were saved by the imposition of a 
                national speed limit, such that greater savings are 
                possible on the date of enactment of this Act than the 
                savings realized in 1974; and
                    (E) a determination of whether a limitation on the 
                national speed limit on highways on the Interstate 
                System similar to the limitation described in 
                subparagraph (C) could serve as a model to generate 
                gasoline savings, through a national speed limit on 
                highways on the Interstate System of 60 miles per hour, 
                given the improved fuel efficiency of automobile 
                engines in use on the date of enactment of this Act.
    (b) Future Gasoline Conservation.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United 
        States shall conduct, and submit to the Committees on Homeland 
        Security and Governmental Affairs, Environment and Public 
        Works, and Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the 
        Committees on House Administration, Transportation and 
        Infrastructure, and Energy and Commerce of the House of 
        Representatives a report describing the results of, a study to 
        determine whether additional gasoline reduction measures by 
        Federal departments and agencies and Congress are technically 
        feasible.
            (2) Inclusion.--The report under paragraph (1) shall 
        include a proposed schedule of future gasoline reduction 
        measures, if the measures are determined to be technically 
        feasible.
                                 <all>