Others are pushing for even higher fuel economy standards -- 50 miles a gallon by 2030. That move, they say, would save an additional 2 million barrels of oil a day.
But more fuel efficient cars will likely come with a trade off -- namely, smaller and less powerful vehicles.
Other ideas for promoting conservation include lowering the speed limit to 55 miles per hour, more government investments in mass transit, and tax incentives for workers to telecommute.
Nearly everyone agrees that conservation is important, less clear is how severe and how immediately those conservation measures need to be undertaken.
NEXT: Using more biofuels
Last updated September 25 2008: 3:43 PM ET