Environmentalists Push Tougher Fuel Standard
WASHINGTON _ Environmental groups on Monday urged federal regulators to toughen proposed fuel economy rules for cars and trucks through 2015, saying a goal of 35 mpg by 2020 in last year’s energy bill should be moved up five years because of high gasoline costs.
The hearing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was a rare chance for public statements on the agency’s key rule. Held as part of a court ruling, the hearing will be used in a report to estimate the environmental impacts of the rules.
Earlier this year, NHTSA had proposed a combined car and truck fuel economy standard of 31.7 mpg by 2015, based on the energy bill passed by Congress last year. In its analysis, NHTSA used the standard government forecast for energy prices, which shows gasoline costs falling to about $2.40 a gallon by 2015, along with other assumptions that riled environmentalists.
The Bush administration has said it wants to finish the rule by the time President George W. Bush leaves office, but both automakers and environmental advocates have sounded legal alarms about the proposal, a signal that one or both sides could sue over the final rule.
Eli Hopson, Washington representative for the Union of Concerned Scientists, told the NHTSA panel that if it set gas prices at a more realistic level, the rules would be forced higher.
“NHTSA is significantly underestimating the potential environmental impact of increased fuel economy simply because they are failing to exercise their legal obligation to set standards at maximum feasible levels,” Hopson said.
Adam Lee, whose family owns several dealerships in Maine, said automakers had misread how quickly the market would shift toward smaller, more efficient models. He said his family’s Chrysler dealership had been forced to lay off workers, while their Toyota franchise had a six-month waiting list for the Prius hybrid.
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers limited its comments to technical critiques of a NHTSA report. The trade group that includes Detroit automakers has said the NHTSA proposal was tougher than expected, and would stretch the industry’s capabilities.
General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. declined to comment Monday on a report that the two were in early talks on possible sharing of engines or other technologies to meet the tougher standards.
___
(c) 2008, Detroit Free Press.
Visit the Freep, the World Wide Web site of the Detroit Free Press, at http://www.freep.com.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.