A new EPA report released today found that Americans are buying more fuel-efficient and less polluting vehicles than just five years ago.

The annual report found that vehicles sold in 2012 were 16 percent more fuel-efficient than those sold in 2007. C02 emissions of the cars dropped by 13 percent during that time.

The report found that compared to five years ago, consumers ahve twice as may hybrid and diesel vehicle choices, as well as more plug-in electric vehicle options. The number of car models with a combined city/highway fuel economy of 30 mpg have increased six-fold.

Sen. Brian Schatz, a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, who released a draft carbon-pricing bill this week, told Civil Beat:

“This report is good news, but we still have a lot of work to do.  Putting a price on carbon could help solve two of the nation’s biggest challenges: preventing climate change and reducing the budget deficit…President Obama and his administration have made great strides in reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and we must build on these accomplishments to achieve a clean energy economy.”

Schatz also penned an opinion piece about climate change for HuffPost that went up on the site this afternoon.

— Kery Murakami