Democrats Plan to Press Automakers on Fuel Efficiency
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, March 10, 2007; Page D01
House Democrats, emboldened to act on global warming, intend to push automakers at a hearing next week to accept higher fuel-economy standards.
The new leadership sees control of Congress as a chance to break through years of industry opposition to improved gasoline mileage. Auto executives are expected to argue that any major increases would cost the industry billions of dollars.
  Sales of General Motors' compact Chevrolet Cobalt are down this year. U.S. automakers say their customers don't want the small cars that stricter fuel-economy standards would require. (By David Zalubowski -- Associated Press) |
"They have resisted any increase in fuel economy standards for the last 20 years," said Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.). "I want to determine whether or not they've changed their tune, whether or not they are now willing to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions into the atmosphere."
The auto executives scheduled to testify Wednesday before the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on energy and air quality include G. Richard Wagoner Jr. of General Motors, Alan R. Mulally of Ford Motor, Tom LaSorda of DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler Group and James E. Press of Toyota Motor.
Markey said he planned to introduce legislation Tuesday that would mandate a fuel-efficiency increase to 35 miles per gallon by 2018, with a further increase of 4 percent a year afterward. The U.S. standard now is 24.9 miles per gallon.
Proposed Bush administration rules have sought to soften the impact of regulations on the financially strapped industry. The White House plan would lift fuel-economy standards by as much as 4 percent a year over 10 years, an increase that automakers have said would be too strict.
Automakers say the industry would have to spend billions of dollars to change vehicle plans and add high-cost technology to comply with the administration proposal.
"The numbers will never add up," said Greg Martin, a GM spokesman. "You can end up hobbling an industry with little in return."
Automakers are also worried that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Barbara Boxer are taking the lead in spurring Congress to action. Both are Democrats from California, which has some of the nation's toughest regulations over the auto industry.
Pelosi has pledged to make oil independence and global warming priorities for Democrats in Congress. Yesterday she named Markey chairman of a select committee on those issues.
Some House members say the committee was created to pressure Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.), chairman of the energy and air quality subcommittee.
Boucher said his goal is to craft a bill on global warming that could win the support of House Republicans and industries that produce the greenhouse gases causing the atmospheric change.
