For Immediate Release:
August 1, 2001

Contact:
David Willett, 202-675-6698

                     Days of Gas-Guzzlers are Numbered
                         CAFE Vote Shows Momentum

Washington, DC: The Sierra Club applauded the 160 House members who bucked
the Bush Administration, auto and oil industries, and others to vote to
raise Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards in the first floor
vote on the issue in 25 years.  The vote showed unprecedented momentum for
increasing the fuel economy of SUV's and other light trucks.
Unfortunately, the House Republican leadership and some key Democrats
rejected this opportunity to safely protect the environment and save
consumers money, and instead caved to the auto and oil industries and the
White House.

"Today's vote shows that the days of the gas-guzzler are numbered," said
Daniel Becker, Director of Sierra Club's Global Warming and Energy Team.
"The Sierra Club is encouraged that, in the first vote on CAFE standards in
a quarter-century, 160 Representatives voted to curb global warming, save
consumers money at the gas pump, and slash our dependence on foreign oil."

The amendment, introduced by Reps. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) and Edward
Markey  (D-MA), would have raised CAFE standards for SUV's and other light
trucks to the same as cars.

"We're confident that Congress will soon provide the real savings Americans
want, but that the oil industry fears," said Becker."  By raising CAFE
standards for SUVs to the same level as cars, we'd save over one million
barrels of oil a day by the beginning of the next decade--triple what we'd
get plundering the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge."

Current miles per gallon standards require 20.7 mpg for SUVs and other
light trucks, and 27.5 mpg for cars. Closing the "light truck loophole", or
raising the miles per gallon standards for SUVs and light trucks to the
same level as cars, would save American consumers $27 billion at the gas
pump and save over one million barrels of oil a day by the beginning of the
next decade.   That's more than three times the amount of oil per day that
would be extracted from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge at peak
production.

A National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report released yesterday found that
the "The car/truck distinction has been stretched well beyond the original
purpose."  The panel also recognized that raising CAFE standards is
important to reducing global warming and our dependence on foreign oil,
stating that without existing CAFE standards the U.S. would be consuming an
additional 2.8 million barrels of oil daily.  Additionally, the panel found
that improving fuel economy standards with existing technology can be done
without affecting the safety or performance of the vehicles.

Improving fuel economy standards is the single biggest step we can take to
curb global warming and is an essential part of a balanced and effective
national energy policy.  Cars and light trucks alone consume 40 percent of
the oil used in the US - approximately 8 million barrels per day.  CAFE
standards for cars have stagnated for more than a decade and the standards
for popular SUVs has gone virtually unchanged for 20 years.  The average
fuel economy of new passenger vehicles sold in 2000 sank to its lowest
point since 1980.

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