Senate Passes Landmark Fuel Economy Bill
40% Boost In Efficiency Would Be First Such Federal Law In 32 Years; House Is Next To Act
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Fuel-Efficient Cars For All
A Senate bill requires higher fuel efficiency standards for every car, truck, and SUV. But auto industry analysts say the bill could backfire. Kelly Wallace reports.
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In an eleventh-hour compromise fashioned after two days of closed-door meetings, an agreement was reached to increase average fuel economy by 40 percent to 35 miles per gallon for cars, SUVs and pickup trucks by 2020.
But the fuel economy issue threatened to topple the legislation up to the last minute. Majority Leader Harry Reid held off the vote until late into the evening so several senators could be called back to Capitol Hill to provide the 60-vote margin needed to overcome a threatened filibuster from pro-auto industry senators.
Shortly before midnight, senators voted 62-32 to cut off debate, and followed by passing the bill 65-27. The measure now awaits action by the House, which is expected to take up the issue as early as next week.
Attempts to combine the two bills and send a final version of the legislation to President Bush probably won't be possible until later this year.
Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., a longtime protector of auto industry interests, has said his House Energy and Commerce Committee will not address the matter until fall - as part of global warming legislation.
President Bush, commenting during the day Thursday while visiting a nuclear power plant in Alabama, said Congress must "be realistic" about the energy legislation. The White House opposes having Congress mandate a specific mileage number for auto fuel economy. Mr. Bush believes the Transportation Department should be given increased flexibility to set a standard.
The legislation would be the first increase in vehicle fuel efficiency since the current 22.7 mpg for cars was put in place in 1989 and the first time Congress has imposed a new auto efficiency mandate in 32 years.
CBS News correspondent Kelly Wallace reports environmentalists – who have been fighting for years to get tougher fuel economy standards – are hailing the bill as a win for both the environment and consumers.
"Consumers are paying more than $1,000 a year in additional fuel costs at the pump," says Phyllis Cuttino, director of the Pew Campaign for Fuel Efficiency. "This is really going to help consumers drive farther on less."
Auto industry analysts say it could play out another way. They point out that the last time Congress tightened fuel efficiency standards for cars, motorists gave up their station wagons and switched to larger, heavier trucks on the road.
That could happen again, says Rebecca Lindland, who tracks the auto industry for Global Insight, a team of economic forecasters.
Consumers, says Lindland, "don't want to change their lifestyle, they want to protect their families. Do you sacrifice the safety of your family and get a small, light vehicle in order to save a tree?"
Supporters say the new fuel economy requirement would save 2.5 million barrels of oil a day by 2025, when large numbers of the more fuel-stingy cars would be on the road.
The compromise which cleared the way for approval by the Senate removed a requirement that automakers would have had to meet an additional 4 percent increase per year for 10 years after 2020. The ethanol flex-fuel requirement also would have been three years longer.
Automakers had strongly opposed the 4 percent requirement, saying it was not achievable and would have required them to make vehicles with a fleet-wide average of 52 mpg by 2030.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein is confident that even without the 4 percent requirement, the bill can make a difference for consumers.
"It closes the SUV loophole," says the California Democrat, referring to current requirements that allow much less-stringent fuel efficiency standards for SUVs and pickup trucks than for cars. "This is a victory for the American public."
Republicans complain that the energy bill is tilted too much toward renewables and fuel efficiency and does nothing to boost domestic oil or natural gas production.
Supporters argue that the measure reflects a shift to new energy priorities, away from promoting fossil fuels to supporting other energy sources such wind and biomass to make electricity and ethanol to power cars and trucks.
"This bill starts America on a path toward reducing our reliance on oil," declared Reid.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.



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See all 87 CommentsThen SUVs came along, and with their higher centers of gravity they are more prone to rollovers, creating a danger to themselves. And with their huge heft and their bumpers at varying heights, they create a danger to other vehicles.
Solution: Get rid of SUVs, and cars are plenty safe once again.
Last time they did this was 1976. The Automotive Industry dodged the bullet. Congress set laws for cars and station wagons, basic family type vehicles. They omitted SUV, Truck, and Van requirements from the legislation.
So what happened? The Auto Industry made the mini van the familty vehicle, and then the SUV, and all of a sudden downsized trucks like S10s and rangers became the new truck.
Congress let them do it. They knew one day we would face this problem again, but the let the Automotive Lobby influence them.
This is a lie. We need a new automotive manufacturer to spring up, and make a vehicle that will revolutionize the industry, and put Toyota, Ford, GM, and Chrysler out of business.
They have preyed on the US economy long enough to show us that they do not have our best interests at heart. Time for a change folks, and that means those lying politicians like Reid!!
YES! Couldn't agree with you more. The one glaring faux pas in our national Constitution was the oversight by founding fathers in limiting the legalized bribery known as lobbying. Congress needs to stand up for the people for a change, not special corporate interests. They're elected to represent us and the public good, not a few wealthy fat cats who are already millionaires but want more, more, more.
Posted by kevboom
I couldn't agree more. The way to do that is to stop buying gasoline. Drive an electric car that will charge in 10 minuets, and go 250 miles at 80mph. No I am NOT kidding. Checkout phoenixmotorcars.com.
Some government regulation is necessary. Partly because we're all supposed to do our part and the deregulation to date has shown corporations won't always want to do their part.
Besides, I chose a car that got much better mileage than a SUV. You can buy all the gas you want (BTW: gas is needed to harvest and transport food as well... that's why food prices have gone up. Supply and demand. )
I find it interesting your calling me an idiot for simply stating my opinion. I would rather you make a counter point that is well stated and has something to back up your ideas. When you resort to name calling it makes you sound like a 3rd grader. I'll try not to respond with the classic "I know you are, but what am I?"
I'm not going to call you an idiot, but I can't believe you're comparing driving a car that gets poor gas milage to using meth. The last time I checked, driving a car with low miles to the gallon didn't cause me to steal from my relatives, starve my kids, share dirty needles, quit my job, sell drugs to school children, or many of the other negative effects of meth abuse.
I'm all about driving a car that gets good gas milage, I drive one that get's about 30 mpg. I just don't like government telling any business what they should produce. We should let the businessman serve the consumer, and if the consumer doesn't buy his product the business will fail. As long as the business isn't selling drugs or other harmful products, we should allow the simple concept of supply and demand run its course.
And also Mr. Ainttaken-
They teach this stuff in college, you should give it a shot.
Stop it.
Gasoline is a dead end.
If someone is stupid enough to own an SUV, he's already suffering the consequences by paying out the nose for gasoline. There are already market incentives in place: drive a fuel-efficient car or you'll end up paying hundreds or thousands extra a year in gas money. Given this tradeoff, some people prefer a Prius, others an Expedition, and others buy something in between.
As usual, in an attempt to fix a problem Congress ends up taking away our freedoms instead.
The outright lie that it will "take away your SUV" is aimed at suckers, we can make a fuel efficient SUV of sufficient speed to keep even suicidal drifters happy. Add to this the well documented rollover hazard, and increased fatal impact rates on pedestrians, then explain how an SUV is safer than a smaller lighter car.
Boycotting US autos is the answer, they have layed off most of their work force anyway, to relocate factories in S.E. Asia, so the economic impact will be minimal. Choke the greedy liars until the market forces them to build a better product, we have been far too nice with bailouts, tax incentives and such, now tell them "you're on your own, if you can't hang, well that's life, death, and capitalism, baby."
You write,"we should allow the simple concept of supply and demand run its course."
What they apparently don't teach in college nowadays is that the oil companies artificially regulate the supply in order to keep prices artificially high. Automakers bribe the legislators to tax imported cars, therefore artificially regulating your choices, and the price of autos. They also underrepresent statistics for tax avoidance purposes, so their data is unreliable at best.
A few days ago, Japanese automakers announced a $3,000 car being prepared for market in India. Since not everyone needs or wants a big guzzler, these cars would easily find a market in the US, but you can bet it won't happen.
Your "supply and demand" teachers have been ignorant of this fact for a long time, supply and demand never works when both sides are artificially manipulated.
When the owners of the gas guzzlers buy gas, they help keep the price unnecessarily high by adding to the demand. Since the demand "affects" the price, even owners of fuel efficient autos pay more, they are in fact partially subsidizing the SUV owners.
As for Congress taking away freedoms, I don't remember the right to greed being enshrined in the constitution, and therefore immune to some controls.
Continue the rotation until they get the message to lower prices, and increase their fuel efficiency. They will just have to settle for smaller profit margins, as we have had, for decades, to settle for ever diminishing purchasing power.
What's good for the goose...
These things aren't rights. These things are products, bought and paid for by consumers, and not citizens.
This is a completely illogical approach to the environment. A more logical approach would be a kind of a congress funded research project to construct cheap and efficient alternative fuel engines to the economy. We have hybrid automobiles, but they're too expensive. So why not a tax credit to those of us environmentally minded enough to pay that extra money for an environmentally friendly vehicle? And why not fund research into new kind of alternative energy vehicles. Vehicles that wouldn't cost so much, and be competitive with the internal combustion engine? We could do it on the apollo scale.
Posted by downtowner97 at 03:15 AM : Jun 22, 2007
You are definately smart.
Why should we sacrifice our luxuries for NON-AMERICAN PEOPLE and a NON-AMERICAN CAUSE.
It's a question to all patriotic Americans.
Why should we take OIL in cheaper prices from Arabs and in return support their those enemies who were brought into Palestine after WWII to occupy the land of those PALESTINIANS by force who had nothing to do with the actions of HITLER?
If we stop consuming Arab Oil, that won't hurt Arab Oil buisnesses a bit, as US is no longer the Primary costumer.
In CHINA and INDIA, those who used to ride on Bicycles are now driving Motor Vehicles. The combine population of China and India is more then the population of United States and EU combined.
Saudi Arabia is the most conservative SUNNI WAHHABI Country in the world. Saudi king Abdullah visited CHINA (An athiest nation) and India ( a POLYTHIEST nation with millions of GODs including MOnkey, Cow, etc) and made an OIL business deal.
When it comes to business and politics, people either need to forget their RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION or face adverse financial consequences.
Do you like paying out the nose for gas? Get a grip and realize when you are being taken for a ride. Supply and demand, my ***!!
This is good legislation. The people arguing the government shouldn't mandate stuff on cars have it wrong. You drive your cars on roads my tax dollars pay, I therefore have a right to set some standards for what your driving. And vis-versa. The one right neither of us has to do whatever the heck we feel like on the streets.
MPG directly affects polution. Using less gas and
there's less pollution to deal with. If pollution controls on all vehicles remove the same amount of pollution then the higher mpg car will pollute less.
You don't have to give up a big solid fast car to get better MPG. All you have to do is increase engine efficiency. Turbochargers do it well, as do superchargers. There's people that have stock Chrysler minivans that came from the factory with turbos that will smoke tires, see turbominivan.com But turbos have higher maintainence costs which is why the general public stopped buying them. I won't be shedding any tears when the $40K Corvette owners have to pay higher maintainence costs for their powerful toys, why should you?
The fact is the higher MPG requirements will only make big heavy powerful cars more expensive. Small cars already have great mileage so the automakers don't have to do much to get them to comply.
Now...if we could develop a new fuel technology in the U.S. that the U.S. would own rights to, THAT would be a beneficial undertaking. I don't see reducing oil use as the answer.
Posted by downtowner97 at 03:15 AM : Jun 22, 2007
Yeah that's the ticket...and do you use credit cards to pay the ever increasing price of gas?
I don't worry about d.ick jockeys like you as will no doubt go bankrupt before long and your gas guzzler autos will be repossed. Have the decentcy not to go on welfare when you go broke!
"Republicans blocked one of the Democrats' top priorities, a $32 billion tax package aimed at boosting renewable fuels, energy efficiency and clean energy programs. The Republicans didn't like the $29 billion in additional taxes on oil companies that the plan required to pay for the new alternative energy subsidies.
Big Oil seems to do pretty well here on Capitol Hill," Reid told reporters, making no effort to hide his sarcasm.
Democrats also failed to get a provision that would have required electric utilities to produce at least 15 percent of their electricity from wind, biomass or other renewables after Republicans refused to allow the measure to come up for a vote."
AND SO.. While the planet gets hotter and hotter, the Hummers keep rolling off the assembly line, Big Oil keeps their BILLIONS in windfall profits, lobbyists finance our Corporate-Owned Congress, the corporate media says nothing, and the American public is spaced out on "reality TV"...
Welcome to the new "fasicm with a smile".
This North American Union or PPA treaty is going to be the final blow to our economy and sovereignty of our nation. It must be stopped! It is being forged without the input or support of the people of either Canada or the US. Mexico is the only one to benefit.
This North American Union or PPA treaty is going to be the final blow to our economy and sovereignty of our nation. It must be stopped! It is being forged without the input or support of the people of either Canada or the US. Mexico is the only one to benefit.
If the worlds population wasn't 6 BILLION (doubled in my lifetime), but was 600 MILLION, we could all drive big cars. But you will have to explain to the next generations why our midwest farmlands was turned into desert.
Once congress goes down that road of telling people what to buy, pretty soon its enormous taxes, and a whole shyytload of useless rules, and a buncha self important azzzzholes feeling good about themselves because they can tell everybody else what to do.
A British engineering firm has put together a high-performance hybrid version of BMW's Mini Cooper. The PML Mini QED has a top speed of 150 mph, a 0-60 mph time of 4.5 seconds. The car uses a small gasoline engine with four 160 horsepower electric motors %u2014 one on each wheel. The car has been designed to run for four hours of combined urban/extra urban driving, powered only by a battery and bank of ultra capacitors. The QED supports an all-electric range of 200-250 miles and has a total range of about 932 miles (1,500 km). For longer journeys at higher speeds, a small conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) is used to re-charge the battery. In this hybrid mode, fuel economies of up to 80mpg can be achieved.
Maybe the rules for you are different than they are in those third world countries. Ever thought of that? No.
Mankind's greatest threat isn't oil, but the god damned stupid spoiled rich punk kid.. Causeless. Meaningless.. Who thinks he knows everything! Killing people..
Or I'm gonna kick yer ******** azzzzes.
... mileage may vary,
and so will the campaign donations.
Posted by downtowner97
Better hurry... hell is almost filled up with all the bloated, narcicistic neo-cons that even satan can handle.
Posted by donnie900
Keep working at it and maybe one day you'll get the connection...
There's no "hey, look at me. I'm cool. Do what I do." There's no "the polar ice caps are melting and we gotta do this for YOUR own good". There's only alternative. Which your rich spoiled punk azzzz is capable of. Thats the really sad thing about all this stuff. The people who should be finding the alternatives, are the ones doing nothing but complaining.
Posted by downtowner97 at 03:15 AM : Jun 22, 2007
Yeah guys with a small peniz will always brag about their cars. I never had that problem.
"Lets talk about letting women be priests!"
"Lets talk about the Law. And wear de ************** out worse than one headlight."
"Lets talk about philosophy! Yah! Yah.."
"Lets talk about homosexuality."
"Republicans complain that the energy bill is tilted too much toward renewables and fuel efficiency and does nothing to boost domestic oil or natural gas production."
The oil companies already said no increased refining because of the bill in Congress.
They are playing with contradictions.
It's all a farce.
Don't you understand that? You ********.. rich. Punk. Kid?
The ******** luxury.
And maybe they'll find an alternative.
I have a '90 toyota that still gets 33.25 mpg even after more than 250000 miles. US sucks at automotive technology and congress sucks at having ANY backbone.
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