Congress can look at rising budget deficits and a costly tax cut and pretend not to see the connection, so don’t expect its members to make the link between energy independence and improved gas mileage. New fuel-efficiency standards may not go this year, but when the Senate next year considers an energy bill, Maine should take note that its senators were on the right side of this issue and kept it alive when more pressing issues took precedence.

In testimony before the Senate Committee on Congress last week, Sen. Olympia Snowe urged that Congress close the loophole that allows SUVs and light trucks a free pass on the standards. Noting that OPEC recently attempted to cut production and drive up prices, she asked, “What further reason do we need to seriously attempt to reduce our dependence on foreign oil? The bottom line is, the fastest, cheapest and cleanest step toward reducing our dependency on foreign oil is to increase the fuel efficiency of our biggest gas guzzlers – SUVs and minivans.”

Similarly, Sen. Susan Collins, in supporting the fuel standards, recently said, “By enacting this legislation, we will save one million barrels of oil per day. This bill, combined with my plan to encourage the production and sale of hybrid and alternative-fueled passenger cars, full-size trucks and buses – from the Honda Insight to city buses powered by electricity – will allow us to knock the wind out of the biggest storm cloud: OPEC and their anti-American oil manipulations.”

These strong statements are backed up by the National Academy of Sciences, which earlier this year concluded that auto manufacturers could use some fairly low-technology improvements – more efficient tires, for instance, or improved fuel-air combustion – to achieve the contemplated standards. As further incentive, the NAS also suggested tradable credits for fuel economy improvements, cash incentives for the purchase of economical vehicles and cash penalties for gas hogs and higher fuel taxes, among others.

Denial is a habit in Congress and denial that keeps members from offending friends in powerful lobbies is especially pervasive. The benefits – environmental, monetary and, these days, geopolitical – are too great to ignore. Maine’s senators no doubt will make sure in the coming year that their

colleagues pay attention.