Tuesday, April 1, 2003
NHTSA 9-03
Contact: Tim Hurd
Tel. No. (202) 366-9550
NHTSA
Announces Final Model Year 2005-2007 Fuel Economy Standards for Light Trucks
The
U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) today announced it will increase the corporate average
fuel economy (CAFE) standards for light trucks by 1.5 miles per gallon (mpg)
over the next three years, thus saving more than 3.6 billion gallons of gas over
the lifetime of the trucks affected.
Under
the new rule, the current standard of 20.7 mpg will increase to 21.0 mpg for
Model Year 2005, 21.6 mpg for MY 2006, and 22.2 mpg for MY 2007.
The final rule adopts the proposed standards that were issued by NHTSA in
December and apply to pickup trucks, vans, and sport utility vehicles.
“This
increase represents the first increase since MY 1996 and is the greatest
increase in fuel economy standards in the last 20 years,” said NHTSA
Administrator Jeffrey W. Runge, M.D.
Today’s
action marks the first increase in fuel economy standards since CAFE standards
were frozen by Congress for six years through a provision in DOT’s annual
appropriations acts.
"The
Bush administration is committed to improving vehicle fuel economy while
protecting passenger safety and American jobs," Dr. Runge said.
NHTSA’s
economic analysis shows that this rule results in a net benefit to consumers
through better fuel economy.
The
new fuel economy standards for light trucks are just one component of the Bush
Administration’s comprehensive approach to improve vehicle fuel economy, Dr.
Runge said. To encourage Americans
to buy more fuel efficient vehicles, the President proposed tax incentives for
the purchase of hybrid vehicles. In
his State of the Union speech, the President also proposed $1.2 billion in
research funding so that America can lead the world in developing
hydrogen-powered automobiles.
For
model years beyond those covered in the final rule, NHTSA said it plans to
consider new ways to administer the CAFE program, including modifications in the
classification of vehicles and methods of measuring fuel economy.
The
final rule for MY 2005-2007 light trucks is available to the public in the DOT
docket (Docket Number NHTSA 02-11419). The rule is also posted on the Internet
and can be viewed after searching for this docket number at http://dms.dot.gov/.
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