The Sierra Club based in San Francisco filed a lawsuit today against the Bush Administration in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, alleges that the Bush administration recently announced light truck fuel economy standards run counter to law. 

 

These standards could raise Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for SUVs, pickup trucks, and other light trucks by a paltry 1.8 miles per gallon by 2011 at best, and may actually erode the fuel economy of new vehicles sold in the United States—actually increasing our dependence on oil.  This action is clearly much less than is both economically feasible and possible with existing technology – a violation of the law’s “maximum feasible” provision.

 

Source: Sierra Club Pressroom

According to Pat Gallagher, Director of the Sierra Club’s Legal Program, “The Bush Administration failed to follow the law when it set miles per gallon standards for SUVs and other light trucks. They underestimated the technologies and ignored important benefits, such as the ability to significantly reduce our global warming emissions.”

Dan Becker, Director of the Sierra Club’s Global Warming Program adds that, “The light truck standards are long on political cover and extremely short on oil savings. Moving to a size based standard will result in a very meager reduction in our oil consumption at best, and will likely result in even more big gas-guzzlers on our roads.”     

 

 

Sierra Club released a web-based program “I Want My MPG!” that will help users estimate how much they could save if fuel economy were modernized.

The Sierra Club website also lists the “breakthrough gas saving technologies” and their respective “Fuel Economy Improvement” as follows:

- Advance Ignition (15 to 20%)
- High Strength, Lightweight Material (25 to 30 %)
- Sleeker Design (5 %)
- Smarter Transmission (20 %)
- High-Tech Engines (20 %)

In defense, Rae Tyson a spokesperson for National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the agency had to develop a standard “that is technically feasible and achievable without compromising safety and without doing serious damage to the American economy and we believe we found that balance.”

Source: CBS News

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Photo Courtesy: Sierra Club & AP