To: illyia who wrote (58883 ) 2/21/2006 11:29:17 AM From: zonkie Read Replies (1) | Respond to Since almost all of juniors platform is either dead, unpopular or a disaster he is now seizing on parts of the democrats platform. He is trying to sell himself this week as the energy president. Please forget about such things as the "war president" and the "medicare reform president" and the "social security reform president."loosened fuel economy regulations allow carmakers to produce vehicles with an average of 6 percent less fuel efficiency than cars made in the 1980s. Both domestic and foreign automotive companies are blamed for the reduction, partly ascribed to their focus on production of heavy, sport-utility vehicles and more powerful engines. The report notes that carmakers are not likely to improve fuel economy in the near future. Some 40 percent of America's domestic oil consumption is the result of fuel for trucks and cars, and yet the energy bill does nothing to prod automakers to improve gasoline mileage. In a similar vein, the energy bill also makes no provisions to encourage more efficient vehicles, despite EPA's conclusion that "fuel economy is directly related to energy security." Weakening the standard would increase electric demand by more than 14,000 megawatts nationally, increasing strain on the nation's power system. Fourteen thousand megawatts is equal to the output of more than 50 medium-sized power plants. However, large trucks and SUVs, including the gas-guzzling Hummer, would be exempt from the new CAFE requirements. Additionally, adjusting the models of some cars by one or two inches could propel them into a higher classification, thus reducing the need to increase their fuel efficiency.nrdc.org
