Washington - Today, Congressman John W. Olver (D-1st District) introduced legislation that would raise Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for Sport-Utility Vehicles (SUVs) and light trucks. The bill's sponsors are Olver and Congressman Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD), who formed the House Climate Change Caucus earlier this year. The other original co-sponsors are Congressman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), Congresswoman Nancy Johnson (R-CT), Congressman Jay Inslee (D-WA), Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Congressman Mark Udall (D-CO), Congressman Jim Greenwood (R-PA), and Congresswoman Hilda Solis (D-CA).

"We must reduce our dependence on fossil fuel," Olver said. "This is an essential first step toward improving energy efficiency and slowing global climate change."

SUVs are currently exempt from the CAFE standards that apply to other passenger vehicles. The bill would require SUVs to meet current CAFE standards for cars by 2007, with several incremental steps toward better fuel economy. SUVs must get 22.5 miles per gallon by 2002, 25 miles per gallon by 2005, and 27.5 miles per gallon by 2007. In addition, it raises the vehicle weight threshold to qualify for CAFE from 8,500 pounds to 10,000 pounds, and requires that all new vehicles purchased by the federal government get six miles per gallon higher than the average for that class.

"Not only does this legislation improve energy efficiency, it has the added benefit of helping to protect consumers from high gas prices. The technology exists to improve fuel efficiency, and this will help hold automakers to their promise to improve fuel economy for SUVs and light trucks," Olver added.

Gas prices are expected to reach record prices this summer.

CAFE standards were put in place in 1975, but light duty trucks were put in a separate category from passenger cars. With the growth in sales of SUVs, which are used primarily as passenger vehicles, average fuel economy for U.S. cars is the lowest it has been in twenty years. It is estimated that raising CAFE standards for SUVs would save one million barrels of oil a day and would reduce U.S. oil imports by ten percent. Closing the SUV loophole would also prevent over 200 million tons of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, from entering the atmosphere each year.

Text of John Olver's Statement