http://detnews.com/2002/autosinsider/0201/19/autos-394725.htm - 01/19/02 Saturday, January 19, 2002
Light truck fuel economy standards will stay the same for 2004 By Nedra Pickler / Associated Press WASHINGTON -- The government does not plan to require 2004 model year light trucks -- pickups, minivans and sport utility vehicles -- to go farther on a gallon of gas. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday it has not had enough time to study the impact of a higher standard. Congress, under pressure from the auto industry, had blocked the agency from studying an increase in fuel economy since 1996. Automakers have argued that a higher standard would result in a smaller vehicle fleet that is less safe. The freeze on studying fuel economy standards was lifted last month when a new transportation spending bill was signed into law. NHTSA Administrator Jeffrey Runge told a congressional panel last month that the agency would not significantly increase the standard until at least the 2005 model year because of the time constraint. By law, NHTSA must issue a final rule establishing a fuel economy standard for 2004 model year light trucks by April 1. On Friday, NHTSA proposed a standard of 20.7 mpg, the same level that has been in effect since 1996. The public has 30 days to comment on the proposal before a final rule is drafted. Corporate Average Fuel Economy -- or CAFE -- standards were set by Congress in 1975 at 27.5 miles per gallon for cars. A lower standard for light trucks was introduced in 1979. Automakers do not have to meet the standard for every vehicle, but must meet the average for their entire fleet. At the time, light trucks were a small part of U.S. vehicle sales and used more for work purposes. Now, SUVs, pickups and minivans comprise about half of new vehicle sales and are often used as family vehicles. The result is that the average fuel use of new passenger vehicles -- both cars and light trucks -- averages 24 mpg, the lowest level since 1980. The 1979 standard for light trucks was 17.2 miles per gallon for two-wheel-drive and 15.8 mpg for four-wheel-drive. The standard fluctuated up and down until the freeze in 1996. Environmentalists have argued that light trucks should be required to get better gas mileage. The Senate Commerce Committee is working on a proposal to require an increase in fuel economy standards in the coming years. On the Net: NHTSA: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Get your FREE credit report with a FREE CreditCheck Monitoring Service trial http://us.click.yahoo.com/ACHqaB/bQ8CAA/ySSFAA/9bTolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuels at Journey to Forever http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel at WebConX http://www.webconx.com/2000/biofuel/biofuel.htm To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
