The most important step that Congress can take now to reduce America's dangerous oil addiction and to give Americans lasting relief from high gasoline prices is to strengthen fuel-economy standards for motor vehicles by increasing the number of miles per gallon for cars and light trucks. The more dependent we are on oil, the more exposed our economy becomes to price shock, and the more entangled the United States becomes in the world's trouble spots.

The Pennsylvania chapter of Republicans for Environmental Protection commends U.S. Rep. Phil English for seeing the need for higher standards. Unfortunately, he has only shown his support for weak auto industry legislation so far. We urge English to support a more stringent bill, such as the one cosponsored by U.S. Rep. Todd Platts of Pennsylvania to increase fuel-economy standards.

Technology is available now to manufacture safe, desirable cars and light trucks that are far more fuelefficient.

The Union of Concerned Scientists projects that Pennsylvania consumers will save $530 million by raising fuel-economy standards to 35 miles per gallon by 2019, under Platts' bill.

In Pennsylvania today, the statewide average price for regular gasoline is near $3 per gallon. These economic benefits could be returned to the state's economy, creating new jobs and spurring economic growth. UCS estimates that Pennsylvania would see a net gain of 9,900 jobs.

By 2020, Pennsylvania consumers would be saving more than $1.3 billion in lower fuel bills. English should ignore the auto industry's predictable arguments that tougher fuel-economy standards will harm automakers.

The auto industry has been consistently wrong with such predictions.

At a time when gasoline prices are skirting $3 per gallon, we need to get off the oil dependence treadmill.