Senate Debates Mileage Rules

Two plans that would require U.S. manufacturers to produce vehicles with significantly
increased fuel economy are being debated in the U.S. Senate. Republicans have introduced a
plan that would require cars and light trucks to average 36 miles per gallon by 2016. A
plan by the Democrats calls for a 35 mpg average by 2013. Automakers say both proposals are
a threat to increasingly popular and fuel-thirsty light trucks, which include minivans,
pickups and sport-utility vehicles (SUVs). Current law requires an average of 27.5 mpg and
light trucks must get 20.7 miles on a gallon. “The Senate proposals would eliminate SUVs,
minivans and pickup trucks,” Gloria Bergquist, spokeswoman for the Alliance of Automobile
Manufacturers, said in the Detroit News. “If these proposals pass, the only place you’ll
see a light truck is in a museum,” she commented.