House votes to keep CAFE freeze

House action: Friday, May 19, 2000
(This report updated: Wednesday, May 24, 2000, 6 pm)

On Friday, May 19, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the transportation spending bill for 2001 (H.R. 4475), including the freeze on CAFE standards for the upcoming year. And in a surprise move, CAFE supporters decided not to force a separate vote on the freeze provision.

Anti-vehicle activists had been working for months to collect signatures of House members who support higher CAFE. And earlier in May, Rep. John Olver (D-MA), a supporter of higher CAFE standards, indicated he would lead an effort on the House floor to delete the freeze.

But news reports indicated that the CAFE supporters were losing ground, as consumers and safety groups spoke out in favor of the freeze. So when the DOT bill came up for debate and amendment, the pro-CAFE members made a last-minute decision not to challenge the freeze -- presumably to avoid an embarrassing loss on the House floor.

The House action is good news for consumers, and a major setback for pro-CAFE forces.

But the debate continues, and the battle now shifts to the Senate. Anti-vehicle groups did force a vote on the CAFE freeze in the Senate last fall, and they're expected to try again this year, during the Senate's debate on the DOT funding bill (scheduled for mid-June).

Also, for recent coverage of the CAFE freeze in the news media, see:

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