Senate Committe Passes Fuel Efficiency Proposal

The Senate Commerce Committee passed a fuel efficiency proposal which could be taken up by the full Senate as early as June. The new bill w...

The Senate Commerce Committee passed a fuel efficiency proposal which could be taken up by the full Senate as early as June. The new bill would require the fleets of cars, trucks, and SUVs to improve fuel efficiency by four percent annually beginning in 2011 and average 35 mpg by 2020.

The House has its own version, which tends to emphasize alternative fuels, rather than working with Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE).

Newly updated standards say light trucks must get 24 mpg by 2011. Car standards have not been updated for nearly 20 years, but the standard says cars must average 27.5 mpg.

Automakers have been campaigning against these proposals, saying it may cost them $114 billion to comply.

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