Senate Passes Landmark Fuel Economy Bill

40% Boost In Efficiency Would Be First Such Federal Law In 32 Years; House Is Next To Act

(CBS/AP)  The Senate passed an energy bill late Thursday that includes an increase in automobile fuel economy, new laws against energy price-gouging and a requirement for huge increases in the production of ethanol.

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.

[setumstrt9]

I think this is crazy!!!! Why does the government think they can determine what type of vehicle I should drive? Our country was built on supply and demand, now the government is going to control supply.

[shanev137]

Easiest way to reduce fuel consumption in America? Fire all our current idiot traffic control engineers who try to figure out how long traffic lights should stay red, and replace them with people who actually have brains.

[incog-nito]

The argument that cars are unsafe because they are smaller than SUVs is incredibly stupid. Cars were plenty safe because their bumpers were roughly all at the same height, and they are less prone to rollovers.

Then 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.

[hungry1968]

It doesn't matter if it's good for the country or not. If it's going to cause us to use less oil, that will hurt the big oil companies. Therefore Bush will kill it faster than you can swat a fly.

[ubrew12]

Sadly, this is about 10 years overdue...

[pwrslm]

So they are lying to us 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!!

[kevboom]

It's about time. And is anyone surprised that Bush is complaining about logical legislation that would benefit the environment, save resources, and help take money away from middle eastern oil interests that siphon funds off to fund terrorism? Yeah, let's find something wrong with increased fuel economy, president dufus. A man in a leadership position of 300 million people is more concerned about how this might impact profits for a few of his Texas oil buddies. Never mind the public good George, it's all about you. Kudos to Congress for once--ethanol baby. Kill big oil dead!

[kevboom]

"Time to Ban all Corporate Lobbyists from the halls of Congress."

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.

[sparks224]

"...Kill big oil dead!"
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.

[hypnotoad72]

ainttaken - "Supply and demand" - what happens if the oil companies decide to take away your demand? The prices are out of control...

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. )

[prinzowhales]

The threats of war and shortages and the lies regarding peak oil will be used to legitimize higher prices, guided, of course, by those good old 'market farces' that Big Oil puts on to create the illusion of free markets. By the time these vehicles come on line, the oil companies will be charging a price per gallon that allows them to pump less oil for the same profits. These administered prices will increasingly become the rule as the strong arm of the US military knocks out the production of those countries, like Iraq, who had the chutzpah to thwart the OPEC/Big Oil production quotas.

[setumstrt9]

ainttaken-

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.

[sparks224]

If you are buying gasoline, you're screwed.
Stop it.

Gasoline is a dead end.

[mbburch06]

Since when is it the job of these clowns in Congress to tell us what kinds of cars we have to drive?

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.

[brianbwb-2009]

OK, go ahead, congress, cave in to automakers demand to continue America's addiction to oil. We understand you can't resist the lobbying dollars they rain on you, then recoup in the sticker price.

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."

[brianbwb-2009]

to setumstrt9

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.

[brianbwb-2009]

to mbburch06,

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.

[brianbwb-2009]

Here is an idea, let's pick an individual company, say Ford first, then subject them to a two year boycott, then switch to General motors, etc, subjecting them one at a time to the pressure of a two year long total boycott.

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...

[donnie900]

The real fuel economy hogs are the big rigs. The buses and the tractor trailers. And a significant portion of those a government owned and operated. If congress wants people to live by a certain standard, then they should first provide an example for that standard, before they try to ask the private sector to do the same.

These things aren't rights. These things are products, bought and paid for by consumers, and not citizens.

[donnie900]

And another point is, is that mileage has got little to nothing to do with emissions. A gas hog is not a polluter of the environment if it has the already required state emissions standards, bought and paid for by the consumer, on them.

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.

[downtowner97]

In December, I traded my 55 MPG diesel Golf for a 20 mpg Audi. I just traded my 20 mpg Audi for a 14 mpg Toureg. Fact of the matter is, I like a big solid car that goes fast, and I don't want to apologize for it. I used to brag about my mileage to other schmoes, but now I just pass them all.

[patriotic9]

In December, I traded my 55 MPG diesel Golf for a 20 mpg Audi. I just traded my 20 mpg Audi for a 14 mpg Toureg. Fact of the matter is, I like a big solid car that goes fast, and I don't want to apologize for it. I used to brag about my mileage to other schmoes, but now I just pass them all.
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.

[twood001]

I'm at outraged that folks (boneheads) out there actually think these regulations take away your freedoms. This legislation paves the way for greedy oil mongers to stop bilking you at the pump. Japan already has a fuel efficient SUV that foes 55 MPG. These are being stopped from being imported to the US. Wonder why?

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 ***!!

[tmittelstaed]

Holy cow what misinformation!

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.

[samrensho]

BFD!! Bush will veto it because he's paid to by big oil and the useless congress will be back to square one. Same old, same old.

[navyretired2]

Call me silly, but if the U.S. widely reduces its use of oil, will the average price of a barrel of crude not go up, making sure the cartels reap the same profit regardless of how small our cars are?

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.

[toadyouso21]

In December, I traded my 55 MPG diesel Golf for a 20 mpg Audi. I just traded my 20 mpg Audi for a 14 mpg Toureg. Fact of the matter is, I like a big solid car that goes fast, and I don't want to apologize for it. I used to brag about my mileage to other schmoes, but now I just pass them all.
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!

[mh4cbs1]

CBS corporate bias shows itself again. They omitted that Big Oil got to keep their BILLIONS in subsidies that they got under Bush, while Exxon makes $40 BILLION in PROFITS by gouging us at the pumps. Took 32 years for standards to be increased, and our corporate owned congress only did it by riping us off by billions $$. Here's what the AP did say that CBS omitted (even they call it 'taxes' not referring to the Bush subidies or windfall profits:

"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".

[panhandlpete]

MPG may be well and good, but only from the standpoint of emissions, for the oil industry will increase the cost of gas to make sure their profits continue. Then when China begins importing its cars via Mexico and floods the US, will their cars have to meet the MPG standards.....yeah....it does not look good for keeping an auto industry here in the US. We've lost everything else, so why worry.

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.

[panhandlpete]

MPG may be well and good, but only from the standpoint of emissions, for the oil industry will increase the cost of gas to make sure their profits continue. Then when China begins importing its cars via Mexico and floods the US, will their cars have to meet the MPG standards.....yeah....it does not look good for keeping an auto industry here in the US. We've lost everything else, so why worry.

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.

[mh4cbs1]

Toadyosou:

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.

[donnie900]

I actually really like Al Gore's ideas. I saw his movie. And I heard about those ice core samples in Antarctica, probably one of the first. I just don't think that theres any other solution to a problem other than something competitive in the market. And what I mean by competitive is that its a alternative automobile engine that burns hydrogen fuel and has zero emissions, and that can beat a 350 small block on the straight away. Or thats cheaper than regular engine. Or something that allows it to be a better alternative for people besides what a buncha intellectuals are worried about. Thats all.

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.

[radiob-2009]

The Possibilites
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.

[donnie900]

Vetoed.

[killtheliars]

What they need to do in addition to this is build a few government run refineries. This way as the oil companies cut production to keep prices higher the govt' can make up the difference ensuring prices stay below a certain level, like say $2.00 per gallon.

[houser123]

Some say this is a do nothing Congress. Mitch McConnell.. take a hike. The votes in the Senate assured that any veto the POTUS may sign will be over ridden. We have at least 60 votes for this measure. A simple majority is assured in the House. Let's see if Mr. Bush elects to veto this one to protect his VP and the oil men from Texas. We should never elect an oil man to the highest level in our country. We see the outcome everyday, huge price increases, subsidies to oil companies even when they post record profits, now we are embroiled in a war for oil some say. We must and we will develop those alternative fuels if we are to survive as a nation and as mankind as a whole. There are no easy answers but this measure passed by the Senate is a step in the right direction. Keep up the good work.

[donnie900]

Oil men. You know what an oil man is to anybody else but a god damned spoiled punk kid? Revenue. Jobs. Financial security. Ya got millions of people who can't even find a plate of food to eat everyday, and you're upset an oil company makes its profits.

Maybe the rules for you are different than they are in those third world countries. Ever thought of that? No.

[donnie900]

Half the ******** latino population in central america under the age of 15 is prostituting because their dads don't have jobs in paper mills.. ya stupid god damned sons'a byytches. Because you "love the rain forest".

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..

[donnie900]

You were always free azzzzhole. Ya just didn't have any girlfriends. And there's a free market out there already. Perfectly willing to accept your alternative hydrogen burning engine. If its competitive. If the ******** thing works. So you ain't gotta make no rules fer anybody. What you gotta do is shut yer stupid god damned ******** big mouth and get to work.

Or I'm gonna kick yer ******** azzzzes.

[acauble1]

If this bill passes both the House and the Senate...

... mileage may vary,

and so will the campaign donations.

[huskerarmy]

"I used to brag about my mileage to other schmoes, but now I just pass them all."
Posted by downtowner97
Better hurry... hell is almost filled up with all the bloated, narcicistic neo-cons that even satan can handle.

[huskerarmy]

Ya got millions of people who can't even find a plate of food to eat everyday, and you're upset an oil company makes its profits.
Posted by donnie900
Keep working at it and maybe one day you'll get the connection...

[donnie900]

Those oil companies, and those paper companies, and those wood companies, and those jaguar skin companies, are gonna move in and give those people a life. A job. Food on the table. And unless you come up with an ALTERNATIVE! Not no ******** regulation. An ALTERNATIVE! Thats the way its going to be.

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.

[rushlimpdrug]

In December, I traded my 55 MPG diesel Golf for a 20 mpg Audi. . . traded my 20 mpg Audi for a 14 mpg Toureg. . . I like a big solid car that goes fast, and I don't want to apologize for it. I used to brag about my mileage to other schmoes, but now I just pass them all.
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.

[donnie900]

"Lets talk about the battle of the sexxxxes."

[donnie900]

"Lets talk about racism."

"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."

[adventurepa]

CBS, Where is the story about Chaney and the secret documents he's withholding from archives?

"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.

[donnie900]

There's no socialism. There is no CIVILITY! Starving..

Don't you understand that? You ********.. rich. Punk. Kid?

[donnie900]

Oil? Bad as it may be. Is what you had. And it'll be what they have too. And we'll work from there. We'll establish a system. A system OF COMMUNICATION! A system that allows people the ******** time.. to worry.. about the environment.

The ******** luxury.

And maybe they'll find an alternative.

[godseyesore-2009]

Too little; too late.
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.