WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on Thursday released its text for the budget reconciliation bill that is racing its way through Congress. Hidden in the details was a little-noticed provision that would zero out fines for automakers that fail to meet the Department of Transportation’s (DoT) Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. For decades this popular program has driven innovation in the automotive industry and delivered thousands in fuel savings for consumers. Fines are the only mechanism the DoT has to hold automakers accountable to meet CAFE standards, so without them there is no incentive for automakers to comply with them.
Chris Harto, Senior Policy Analyst at Consumer Reports, issued the following statement in response to these proposed changes to the CAFE program:
“These proposed changes effectively gut the popular CAFE program, turning it into nothing more than an accounting requirement with no teeth. Without an enforcement mechanism, many automakers are likely to continue to leave proven, popular, and cost effective technologies sitting and gathering dust on the shelf, rather than deploying them to save consumers money at the pump. Hybrid technology, for example, is popular with consumers and delivers a great return on investment, yet many automakers do not offer consumers a single conventional hybrid option. Without enforceable standards to drive progress, we are concerned that most automakers will slow or freeze progress on delivering more fuel efficient vehicles for consumers despite consumer expectations for continued improvements in vehicle efficiency.“
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Media Contact: Emily Akpan, emily.akpan@consumer.org