|  Our
national fuel economy standards have not improved in over
25 years, despite our need to reduce dependence on foreign
oil, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and the fact that we
are giving increasing amounts of money to oil companies as
gas prices increase. Automakers are meeting higher standards
in other countries, so why not here?
See
PEW Comparison of fuel economy and GHG emission standards
chart.
To make matters worse -- because
of outdated testing methods -- automakers are not even achieving
the low standards that are currently in place.
Bluewater supports federal legislation
to increase fuel economy standards and is also working to
ensure that carmakers actually meet the standards that are
in place.
Are
Automakers Cheating on their Test Scores?
The tests currently used by the Environmental Protection Agency
to measure a car’s fuel economy are highly inaccurate
and out of date. The result is that automakers are not achieving
even today’s lax national fuel economy standards.
 Failed
Tests – The fuel economy tests don’t
take into account today’s higher highway speeds, increased
urban congestion, more aggressive driving and faster acceleration,
air conditioning use, heater use, or defroster use. Because
the testing is done on a machine, they do not account for
other real-world conditions that reduce fuel efficiency such
as roadway roughness, hills, wind, tire pressure, and heavier
loads (including heavier passengers).
Falling Below
National Standards - Because the fuel economy
tests do not take real-world conditions into account, they
greatly exaggerate fuel economy. The result is that automakers’
have been allowed to fall far below the nation’s already
lax 27.5 mpg federal fuel efficiency standard for cars and
the 21.7 standard for light trucks!!!
Harm to U.S.
- Automaker’s failure to achieve federal MPG standards
hurts consumers, who pay more for gas. It also harms our national
economy and our national security -- we import far more oil
from foreign nations than we would if automakers were meeting
federal MPG standards. In fact, all of the oil we import from
Saudi Arabia each year would be unnecessary if automakers
weren’t using false test methods.
More Information on
Fuel Mileage:
Find
and Compare Car Fuel Mileages: information provided by
the Department of Energy on the fuel economy, greenhouse gas
emissions, and air pollution for passenger cars and trucks
It is time that Congress enforced
its own mileage standards by mandating accurate tests. You
can make a difference today: Call, email, or write your representatives
and ask for accurate federal fuel economy testing.
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