WASHINGTON - August 23 - With oil prices reaching record levels, the Bush Administration has once again failed to protect American consumers from skyrocketing prices at the pump. Instead of harnessing America’s technological know-how to require light trucks and autos to meet a 40 mile per gallon (mpg) average standard, the Administration has proposed a pathetically weak increase in light truck miles per gallon standards and has given automakers an increased opportunity to game the system by increasing the size of their SUVs and other light trucks.
Two weeks ago, President Bush signed an energy bill that handed Big Oil a taxpayer-funded gift of $4 billion in new subsidies. Today, the Bush Administration has told the Big Three automakers that they’re virtually off the hook when it comes to delivering light trucks that will go further on a gallon of gasoline. Once again, American consumers will see no relief at the pump as this Administration continues to side with Big Oil and the Big Three automakers.
U.S. PIRG’s report “America Idles: President Bush’s Inaction Costs Americans $5 Billion at the Pump in 2005” showed that American consumers will already spend $5 billion more at the gas pump than they should have to because of shortsighted automobile fuel economy policies. When the Bush Administration first proposed changing the structure of the fuel economy standards for light trucks, 4,500 PIRG members sent comments asking that the Administration increase fuel economy standards to 40 mpg for cars and light trucks, and not allow loopholes that would help automakers game the system. Today’s announcement ignores thousands of public comments – instead allowing Detroit to continue building gas guzzling light trucks.
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