Dingell says fuel economy bill is close, one big issue left
US Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) is saying that a deal is very close on a compromise fuel economy bill in the US Congress. As we reported the other day, the 35 mpg by 2020 standard from the previous Senate bill will be retained with separate averages being calculated for cars and trucks. The primary remaining stumbling block appears to be over clarifying which agencies have responsibility for what. Currently the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has responsibility for writing and enforcing fuel economy rules while the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) oversees emissions regulations. The actual testing of vehicle fuel economy is done by the EPA as part of their emissions test process. Dingell wants to ensure that the precise rules written by the agencies are consistent and don't give conflicting guidance to automakers. Presumably this means that he doesn't want the EPA to establish CO2 limits that are tougher than the the fuel economy rules written by NHTSA.
[Source: Detroit News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
rgseidl 2:08PM (11/30/2007)
A sane solution to this would give EPA and CARB jurisdiction over specific GHG emissions (i.e. they own the trade-offs against toxic emissions) while making the NHTSA responsible for reducing vehicle weight without compromising crash safety (probably a novel concept for them). This would include active on-board safety measures as well as future vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology and road construction standards.
The nice thing is that weight reduction inherently improves fuel economy, making it easier for car makers to comply with both sets of regulations.
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Dad 6:07PM (12/01/2007)
"Dingell says fuel economy bill is close, one big issue left"
One big issue, like passing the bill? I would think that is the only real issue at this point.
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