Is this a joke? Constitutionality of New Speed Limit Bill

Does Congress have the Constitutional authority to make this law?

Posted by Cary Valerio of Project Liberty

Congress asked to consider new speed limit

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/28/reduced-speed-ahead/


W.J. Hennigan (Contact)
Monday, July 28, 2008

Check your rearview mirror. It's back. The controversial and widely ignored national speed limit, lifted in 1995 after an 11-year run, is again being touted in the halls of Congress as a remedy for skyrocketing gas prices. The lead proponent, Sen. John W. Warner, Virginia Republican, is sponsoring the Immediate Steps to Conserve Gasoline Act. The measure aims to curb high fuel costs by asking the federal government to take another look at reimposing a national speed limit.

Mr. Warner does not define what the national speed limit should be, but notes that when the U.S. had a national 55 mph speed limit from 1974 to 1995, an average of 167,000 barrels of oil were saved each day.

High-speed traffic zips along Interstate 270 in Montgomery County.

Despite the potential savings, the idea doesn't sit well with most Americans. A Rasmussen poll released on July 7 said that 59 percent of voters oppose the proposed reinstatement of the 55 mph national speed limit, with only 34 percent supporting it.

"My own son came up to me and said, 'Pops, this is not a good idea,'" Mr. Warner said, referring to his race-car-driving son, John W. Warner IV. "But I have to try to bring the pressure off the American people at the pumps."

To find a suitable speed limit, Mr. Warner wrote a letter to Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman asking him to find which speed would be the most fuel-efficient, so the greatest savings for U.S. consumers can be achieved. A spokeswoman did not confirm the speed that meets Mr. Warner's requirements, but the Energy Department's Web site tells motorists that for each 5 mph over 60 mph they drive, they are essentially paying an additional 30 cents per gallon for gas.

When the national 55 mph speed limit was first imposed, the country was going through a fuel-conserving frenzy brought on by a 1973 oil embargo. Gas prices were through the roof, and the cars that were built in those days were genuine gas guzzlers.

Allison Shelley / The Washington Times Rep. Jackie Speier, California Democrat, proposed the Gasoline Savings and Speed Limit Reduction Act as her first bill after taking office in April. Her bill would set a national speed limit at from 60 mph to 65 mph, depending on location.

There is no such embargo today, and cars are much more fuel efficient, but demand has driven gas prices to record-breaking highs. To put it in perspective, in June 1974, the average price for a gallon of gas went from about 40 cents to 55 cents a gallon. Adjusted for inflation, that's about $1.90 and $2.70 in today's dollars. Now the national average is around $4.02 a gallon.

Mr. Warner's argument is that slower driving saves money and gas because cars get their highest fuel efficiency at speeds of about 55 mph. Therefore, lower speeds will put a damper on demand.

But Jim Baxter, president of the National Motorists Association, says people never paid attention to the first law. So how will it help this time around?


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