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About the campaign

You'd think that after all the news on global warming, an academy award-winning film and an international rock concert, politicians would be climbing over each other to pass a big energy bill that does some big stuff. Maybe tell the automakers that if they can figure out how to get DVD players and swiveling cup-holders into cars, they can increase fuel efficiency for cars and light trucks. It has been 32 years since they made 27.5 miles per gallon the standard for cars. Can't they tell the Big Oil companies that they should use some of their billions in profits from high gas prices to install the pumps that can deliver alternative fuels (ethanol, aka e85) at more gas stations? But guess what - nothing has happened. Yet.

Before Congress leaves for their break in August, the House plans to debate an energy bill that increases energy efficiency, closes loopholes for oil and gas drilling on public lands, and makes the electricity transmission grid more energy-efficient. This is a good start, but the bill still needs provisions to take on the really big stuff - increasing gas mileage requirements and mandating the availability of e85 for flexible-fuel cars that can use either gasoline or ethanol. These tough solutions will slash oil use and slow global warming.

To increase energy independence and stop global warming, the House should do what the Senate did: increase mileage standards to 35 mpg by 2020. This would save 1.2 million barrels of oil per day in 2020, save consumers at least $25 billion, and reduce dependence on foreign oil.

The House should also require a certain portion of service stations to sell e85 to replace oil-based gasoline with corn-based ethanol. Currently, there are 4.4 million flex-fuel vehicles on the road, but only 1,000-plus service stations that sell e85 - many of them concentrated in a handful of Midwestern states. California, for instance, has 250,000 flex-fuel cars but only two stations that sell the fuel. New Jersey has 116,000 flex-fuel cars and no stations that sell e85. New York has 170,000 flex-fuel cars and only two stations. In other words, flex-fuel cars provide little reduction in oil use or global warming pollution because they rarely run on e85. The House should make Big Oil sell e85 at a certain portion of service stations so that flex-fuel cars can run cleaner.

This campaign is aimed at making people aware that this important debate is just around the corner. It's hard to believe there are some members of Congress who oppose these simple, smart fixes, but unfortunately there are.

Watch our videos each day for the next week to learn more and laugh at the lengths to which one man - Phin - would go to get the word out. Joining him along the way are Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Biggs, Jennifer Garner, Tobin Bell (scary guy in the SAW movies), Jenny Wade and Joshua Jackson. Help them and us tell Congress - Clean My Ride, Flex My Fuel. Go to www.CleanMyRide.com. Time for Congress to do its job.