Washington – With gas prices continuing to rise, the Bush administration proposed new rules Tuesday to compel auto manufacturers to make pickups, minivans and some sport utility vehicles more fuel efficient.
Environmentalists said the plan would do little to wean the nation from its dependence on foreign oil.
The proposal would require the auto industry to raise standards for most vehicles other than cars beginning in 2008. All automakers would have to comply with the new system by 2011.
“This is a plan that will save gas and result in less pain at the pump for motorists without sacrificing safety,” Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said.
Mineta, speaking at news conferences in Atlanta and Los Angeles, said the program was expected to save about 10 billion gallons of gasoline over the life of vehicles built from 2008 through 2011.
The U.S. consumes about 140 billion gallons of gasoline per year, according to Energy Department statistics.
The plan would not apply to the largest SUVs, such as the Hummer H2. Passenger cars, already required to maintain an average of 27.5 miles per gallon, also would not be covered by the changes.
Environmental advocates panned the approach, saying it failed to go far enough to reduce the nation’s dependence on imported oil while creating new loopholes that would weaken the requirements.
Passenger cars and light trucks, a vehicle category that includes pickups, minivans and SUVs, account for about 40 percent of the nation’s oil use.
“At a time when Americans are paying record prices for gas, the Bush administration has sided with its cronies in the auto industry and rejected real solutions,” said Dan Becker, director of the Sierra Club’s global- warming program.
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., called it “backward looking” and “another lost opportunity to help our security, economy and environment.”
John D. Graham, director of the Office of Management and Budget’s office of information and regulatory affairs, countered that the plan was projected to save more fuel than any previous rulemaking in the history of the light-truck program.
Under the current system, automakers must maintain an average of 21 mpg for light trucks and will have to meet 22.2 mpg for the 2007 model year.
The new system would divide light trucks into six categories based on size.
Smaller vehicles would have to get better gas mileage than larger trucks.
Automakers could opt to comply with the old system through 2010 or to meet the standards in the six categories.
If they stayed with the old system, they would have to meet a 22.5 mpg average by 2008, 23.1 mpg in 2009 and 23.5 mpg by 2010.
Under the new attribute- based system, the standards would range from as high as 26.8 mpg in 2008 for smaller vehicles such as the Chrysler PT Cruiser and the Toyota RAV4 to 20.4 mpg for large vehicles such as the Chevrolet Silverado and the Dodge Ram.
