WASHINGTON--The Bush administration yesterday endorsed a
proposal for a small increase in fuel economy standards for
light trucks, increasing the mileage requirement for such
vehicles by 1.5 miles per gallon over three years.
The decision endorses a recommendation made to the White
House last month by the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration. The requirement, covering sport-utility
vehicles, minivans and pickup trucks, will begin with the 2005
model year and increase the average standard for such trucks
to 22.2 miles per gallon in the 2007 model year. Democrats and
environmentalists criticized the increase as too small, while
Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta, who oversees NHTSA,
said it will save 2.5 billion gallons of gasoline.
The standards, known as corporate average fuel economy or
CAFE, have not been raised since 1996. The average standard
for other passenger cars is 27.5 miles per gallon across a
manufacturer's product line. The change will take effect after
a 60-day comment period.
Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.), an aspiring Democratic
presidential candidate, yesterday called the administration's
decision "an insult" and "a sham" and said it would save "less
than 3 percent of the oil we already import from Iraq." Kerry
and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) had proposed increasing overall
standards to 35 mpg by 2015, but the legislation was opposed
by the Bush administration and defeated.
[Excerpt - Washington
Post]
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