Senate acts to keep CAFE freeze

Senate action: June 15, 2000

Update, 8 pm (ET): After an extended debate, the Senate decided this evening to follow the House and keep the CAFE freeze in effect for another year.

Debate on the issue began around 4 pm, shortly after the Senate passed the DOT appropriations bill. As expected, pro-CAFE senators offered a resolution to block the House-passed CAFE freeze and impose new restrictions on vehicle users. Highlights of the debate:

  • Senator Gorton (R-WA) argued for the resolution and higher CAFE, but misrepresented safety statistics and ignored the impacts of new CAFE restrictions on consumer choice.
  • Senator Ashcroft (R-MO) made a strong presentation on the adverse effects of CAFE and downsizing, and argued in favor of extending the freeze to protect safe choices for consumers.
  • Senator Feinstein (D-CA) argued for the resolution, but also misrepresented safety matters and exaggerated environmental impacts.
  • Senator Abraham (R-MI) discussed the adverse effect of higher CAFE on U.S. jobs, as well as on safety and consumer choice, and urged keeping the freeze in effect.
  • Senator Levin (D-MI) reviewed several of the serious flaws in the CAFE legislative approach, and the positive alternative of promoting cooperative research for improved automotive technology.
  • Senator Bryan (D-NV), a longtime supporter of higher CAFE restrictions, repeated arguments from prior debates, but overlooked real-world evidence on the failures of the CAFE program.
  • Senator Lautenberg (D-NJ) spoke in support of higher CAFE standards for light trucks, making exaggerated claims as to CAFE's impact on oil imports and greenhouse gases.

Shortly after 7 pm, the two sides announced an agreement -- to accept the House CAFE freeze, and to order a new independent study on CAFE by experts at the National Academy of Sciences, which would form the basis of future DOT recommendations to Congress on the subject. That was accepted by voice vote, so no roll-call vote was taken.

On Wednesday, June 14, the U.S. Senate began debate on the transportation spending bill for 2001 (S. 2720). In May, the House of Representatives approved its version of the DOT bill (H.R. 4475), including the freeze on CAFE standards for the upcoming year. The Senate bill does not include a CAFE provision, but leaves the way open for agreement in conference committee to the House-passed freeze.

Anti-vehicle activists have been working for months to generate opposition to the freeze, as part of their ongoing effort to impose new CAFE restrictions on motorists. They collected signatures of House members who support higher CAFE, but then backed down on a plan to oppose the freeze on the House floor.

Now, they're focusing on the Senate, where Senators Slade Gorton (R-WA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Richard Bryan (D-NV) are trying to derail the CAFE freeze. They've offered a resolution which would instruct Senate conferees on the DOT appropriations bill to oppose the CAFE freeze -- thus clearing the way for DOT to impose new CAFE restrictions by regulation.

Those senators offered the same resolution last September, during debate on the FY2000 DOT bill. The Senate defeated that attempt, by 55-40 -- a convincing margin, although it's disappointing that 40 members of the Senate were unwilling to consider the substantial adverse impacts on safety and consumer choice.

Follow the Senate debate:

CVC carefully monitored activity on the Senate vote, posting frequent updates on this site to help keep the public informed.

Also, take a look at:

  • the House 2000 vote
  • the Senate 1999 debate (and how your senators voted)

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

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