Seven presidents have declared the goal of reducing U.S. dependence on oil, with George W. Bush, an oilman from Texas, lamenting the national addiction to oil. None has come close to achieving this goal. But, over the course of this spring and summer, the United States has an opportunity to dramatically change the trajectory of national oil consumption.

The California Air Resources Board, as the leader of the state "Clean Cars program," and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are now considering standards that could affect vehicle emissions and fuel economy from 2017 to 2025. The highest standard being considered would raise fuel economy and lower emissions by 6 percent per year, bringing average fuel economy to over 60 mpg.

To appreciate the possibilities and the importance of the decisions that will be made in the next few months, we must understand the developments of the past decade.

In the early 2000s, California exercised its authority under the Clean Air Act to propose new standards to cut auto emissions, which have the effect of also increasing fuel economy. Those standards made it inevitable that electric-powered vehicles would play an important part in California's future.

Automakers reacted as they have when confronted with every public safety standard, such as seat belts, airbags and catalytic converters, saying, "Hell no! We can't do it!" In spite of this, 13 states and the District of Columbia adopted the California standard, making it a major standard and creating a market ranking in the top five in the world.

Today there are 30 electric vehicle models available in the United States. Plug-in electrics took top honors at the Los Angeles auto show. The Chevy Volt, with an extended range of 300 miles, won the Green Car of the Year Award. The Nissan Leaf, with a range of about 100 miles, finished second. Fierce competition has broken out between hybrids, plug-ins, plug-in hybrids and extended range plug-ins for compact cars, sedans, SUVs and pickups.

J.D. Power and Associates predicts 159 different electric vehicle models for sale in the United States by the end of 2016. California and the Clean Cars states forced the industry to change direction to consumers' benefit.

And, the gasoline engine is not done yet. More efficient engines and transmissions, improvements in body design, rolling resistance and use of high-strength, lighter materials have allowed gas-powered cars to get more than 40 mpg today and compete with hybrids. Technologies are in hand, or soon will be, to get 50 mpg or more in gasoline-powered cars. These vehicles arrived a lot sooner because of California.

The Clean Cars program is an example of American federalism at its best. States are allowed to choose between the federal standard or the California standard, which helps the federal government to arrive at a better national solution. The standards are also a perfect example of policy that creates competition without picking a favorite technology or vehicle type. Different standards are set for vehicles of different sizes. Consumers who love their SUVs will love them even more when they get 45 mpg, which would be the target for these larger vehicles.

A goal of 60 mpg may sound high, even for 2025, but Toyota and General Motors have already said they could comply.

The economic analysis done by EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last year indicates that adding technologies to increase fuel economy would save consumers $6,400 over the life of the vehicle and would pay for itself before the typical auto loan – five years – is paid off. Billions of gallons of reduced gasoline consumption translate directly into reduced oil imports and lower emissions.

Respondents to our surveys over the past six years express great concern about rising gasoline prices and dependence on foreign oil. They believe it is important to lower oil consumption, and they support fuel economy standards as a way to do so. They are willing to pay more upfront, knowing they'll turn a profit before the five-year mark. They support the states in setting emissions standards.

Quick fixes, like gasoline tax holidays or releases from the strategic petroleum reserve, may ease short-term pain, but they treat the symptom, not the disease. The most effective response to the long-term problem of rising gasoline prices is to dramatically lower gasoline consumption. California and the Clean Cars states started in that direction first and should continue to drive these consumer-friendly policies forward.

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Mark Cooper is director of research for the Consumer Federation of America, an association of nonprofit consumer organizations. Ken McEldowney is executive director of Consumer Action, a San Francisco-based consumer advocacy and education organization.