Released: December 06, 2007

Fuel efficiency target of 35 MPH is likely

Source: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum and Steven Mufson, Washington Post (Free Registration)

Congress is on the verge of approving an increase in fuel efficiency standards that automakers have fought for more than two decades, and a central player was the auto industry’s fiercest champion, Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.).

Soon after last year’s election, which handed control of Congress to pro-environment Democrats, Dingell warned auto industry executives that “ ‘no’ is not good enough” an answer to lawmakers who have wanted for years to require cars to consume less gasoline, according to Dennis B. Fitzgibbons, a top Dingell aide and a former automobile lobbyist.

A year later, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee came to an agreement with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) that sets a target of 35 miles a gallon for U.S. vehicles by 2020, 40 percent more than current average.

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