Chamber Warns of Congress Mandating Fuel Standards

WASHINGTON, D.C. – United States Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas Donohue today warned that proposals to increase fuel economy standards could lead to greater traffic fatalities and limit consumer options as the Senate continued debate on national energy legislation.

"Arbitrary tightening of fuel standards that result in smaller and lighter vehicles means increased risk of injuries and fatalities for passengers," Donohue said. "Everyone supports greater fuel efficiency, but we must not endorse any plan that compromises Americans' safety."

Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) today proposed raising fuel standards to 36 miles per gallon by 2015 as part of the debate on the energy bill. Last summer, the National Academy of Sciences issued a report that found increases in the fuel standards could lead to greater traffic fatalities.

The Chamber has long been a critic of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program and supports market solutions to increase vehicle fuel efficiency without compromising consumer choice and safety.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce strongly supports an amendment by Senators Kit Bond (R-MO) and Carl Levin (D-MI) that would allow the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to move forward in reviewing corporate fuel standards and informed Senators it would consider votes on the issue in their annual "How They Voted" rankings. The House of Representatives last summer voted against mandating an increase in fuel economy standards, yet supported further study of the matter.

"Mandating a higher fuel efficiency standard without adequately considering passenger safety is bad public policy," continued Donohue. "There are better ways to achieve our efficiency goals and reduce our dependency on foreign oil than putting drivers at greater risk."

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector and region.

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