More gas on fuel standards

The U.S. transportation secretary's Tuesday press conference about new fuel-efficiency standards was disappointingly disingenuous.

Norm Mineta unveiled a White House plan requiring higher mileage standards for cars and light trucks at a Los Angeles service station — in the state that leads the way on reducing automotive emissions of harmful greenhouse gases. But Bush's proposed reform of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards includes a provision directly conflicting with California's law, embraced so far by seven Northeastern states and, tentatively, by Washington. The new rules would prohibit states from setting higher emission standards than the federal government's. Automotive manufacturers sued over California's higher standards — litigation the Bush administration supports.

The White House's new CAFE standards do not deal with emissions but require better gas mileage overall for cars and light trucks, including some sport-utility vehicles and mini-vans. Instead of setting one average mileage standard for a manufacturer, it divides the vehicles into categories — so as not to penalize American manufacturers who make more trucks and SUVs than foreign makers. The standards are determined by size — the area between the car's tires — rather than emissions.

The California standards attempt to improve air quality by curbing emissions of greenhouse gases, beginning with the 2009 model year. Northeastern states — including New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island and Vermont — have embraced them.

This year, Washington's Legislature enacted legislation adopting the standards but only when Oregon does, too. Monday, Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski is expected to veto a provision in a budget bill that would block his promise to implement California's standards. He also will convene a task force to plan for implementing California's rules in Oregon.

In March, Canada struck a voluntary deal with automakers to reduce carbon dioxide and other emissions by 25 percent in five years.

But the U.S. government has failed to assume similar leadership, all but ignoring the threat of global warming. In the meantime, the evidence mounts. And gas prices are going up — $2.99 a gallon at the Los Angeles Mobil station where Mineta had his press conference.

The White House's proposed CAFE reform does too little about improving gas mileage and far too much about interfering with earnest attempts of states to show leadership on the issue.