CAFE 'freeze' debate of 2000

CAFE debate 2000: The pro-CAFE forces started early in 2000 to attack the freeze, starting first in the House, and using the same misleading arguments used in 1999.

Four House members -- Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA), Sherman Boehlert (R-NY), Norm Dicks (D-WA) and Jim Greenwood (R-PA) -- circulated a letter calling for higher CAFE standards, almost identical to the 1999 pro-CAFE letter in the Senate. Anti-vehicle groups actively promoted the Boehlert-Dicks letter -- which they misleadingly called the "clean car letter" -- even though it confused the types of auto emissions and regulations:

CO₂ (which is related to mileage, but is harmless and not a "pollutant");

HC and NO_x (which contribute to smog, but are not related to mileage, and are regulated by separate strict EPA tailpipe standards).
And once again, the activist groups failed to mention the serious adverse effect of higher CAFE standards on highway safety, on consumer choice, and on the U.S. economy. (For a look at what's wrong with the letter, check CVC's Fact & Fallacy Finder.)

Consumer groups, safety experts and their allies helped to bring balance to the CAFE debate, by reminding House members of the American public's strong interest in preserving a wide range of vehicles in the market, and in protecting highway safety. The freeze issue generated attention in Congress and the media. On May 19, the House passed the DOT budget (H.R. 4475) including the freeze. (Read more details on the House action.)

Anti-vehicle crusaders then turned their attention to the Senate, where three Senators vowed to resume their efforts to impose higher CAFE. Senators Slade Gorton (R-WA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Richard Bryan (D-NV) had tried to block the freeze in 1999, but lost when the Senate voted 55-40 to protect safety and choice. They tried again in 2000, when the Senate took up its version of the DOT bill (S. 2720). CVC and other user groups continued to defend vehicle choice and highway safety by supporting the freeze extension.

Pro-CAFE groups lobbied intensely and generated media coverage, but most Senators continued to resist efforts to restrict consumer choice. Respected safety researchers, including the Harvard School of Public Health, reminded the Senate about the adverse safety effects of vehicle downsizing. Senators Gorton, Feinstein and Bryan offered their CAFE proposal when the DOT bill came up in the Senate - but then backed down, when it appeared they did not have enough votes to pass the amendment. Instead, the Senate agreed to a new study by the National Academy of Sciences on the subject, to be issued by July 2001. (Read more on the Senate activity.)

The CAFE freeze and NAS report were both included in the final version of the DOT budget bill, which was signed into law that October. The freeze provision lasts until the end of the new fiscal year (Sept. 30, 2001), and prevents DOT from issuing higher CAFE standards during that timeframe - which protects consumers through Model Year 2003.

Here's the Congressional scorecard during 2000 on the DOT FY2001 budget bill and CAFE freeze:

Chamber	Stage	Date	Action taken
House	Appropriations Transportation Subcommittee	May 8	Approved DOT bill Voted to keep freeze
House	Appropriations Committee	May 16	Approved DOT bill Voted to keep freeze
House	Floor	May 19	Approved DOT bill Voted to keep freeze
Senate	Appropriations Committee	June 13	Approved DOT bill No CAFE provision
Senate	Floor	June 15	Approved DOT bill Agreed to keep freeze
House-Senate	Conference Committee	September	Approved DOT bill including freeze
White House	Approval	October 22	Signed DOT bill into law including freeze

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This page last updated: 5/2/01