Editorial: Efficiency is a must for SUVs

Automakers and their friends in Congress have made no secret of their disdain for Sen. Richard Bryan, but that isn't stopping the Nevada Democrat from renewing his fight to have stricter fuel efficiency standards for light trucks, including the increasingly popular sport utility vehicles. The federal standards -- 27.5 miles per gallon for cars and 20.7 miles per gallon for light trucks -- haven't been changed since they were implemented in 1975.

Earlier this year the House passed a transportation appropriations bill that contained -- for the fifth consecutive year -- a ban which prevents the federal government from even investigating whether the fuel efficiency standard for SUVs should be strengthened. In response, Bryan and Sens. Slade Gorton, R-Wash., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., are the chief sponsors of a nonbinding resolution that asks the government to re-examine the standards. There are 31 senators who have signed onto the resolution and its supporters hope they can get enough other supporters so President Clinton can be persuaded to veto the House bill if it contains the research prohibition.

Tougher standards not only help the environment through cleaner air, they also benefit consumers who will pay less at the pump. And as more Americans turn to gas-guzzling SUVs, this nation's reliance on imported fuel only gets worse. "What the auto industry is saying is that 'We don't even want anyone to take a look at this, period.' That, to me, seems to be an indefensible position," Bryan said Monday. The Associated Press noted in a story last week that proponents of fuel efficiency say the existing standards save the nation more than 3 million barrels of oil each day. In addition, the Union of Concerned Scientists contends the technology exists today to better SUV fuel economy by 50 percent; reduced fuel costs within two years would offset the increased costs necessary to make a more efficient vehicle.

This nation's love affair with SUVs doesn't show any signs of ending. Earlier this month General Motors announced a record-setting month of August for truck sales, driven by SUV sales. Ford and Mercury's SUVs also set sales records for August. Some members of Congress may be reluctant to do anything that might be construed as pushing up the cost of vehicles, especially those as popular as SUVs. But it is ridiculous for Congress to refuse to even allow federal regulators to determine whether it is feasible to toughen fuel efficiency. The Senate should reject the House's misguided ban that only serves to do the bidding of automakers, who can go on making gas-guzzling SUVs -- even if affordable technology exists to make them more fuel efficient.

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