Senate panel OKs goal of 35 mpg by 2020

WASHINGTON -- In a sign of congressional concern over record-high gasoline prices and global warming, a Senate committee approved legislation Tuesday calling for the most significant increase in vehicle fuel efficiency in decades.

The measure would boost the fleetwide average fuel-economy standards to 35 mpg by 2020, up from 25. It now goes to the Senate, where a similar measure was defeated two years ago after heavy lobbying by automakers.

This time, however, the bill is backed by a number of lawmakers who previously opposed tougher standards. And it comes when congressional Democratic leaders have pledged to pass legislation to address global warming.

Cars and light trucks -- including SUVs, pickups and vans -- account for about one-fifth of U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas.

"This marks a pretty significant change in the Congress," said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., who has voted against tougher fuel-economy rules but is now sponsoring legislation to raise the standards.

The bill's approval by the Senate Commerce Committee marked only the opening round, with lawmakers from vehicle-manufacturing states vowing to fight a measure they believe could hurt the struggling U.S. auto industry. Environmental groups also assailed the bill, contending it contains loopholes that could lead to lower increases than promised.

Currently, each automaker's passenger-car fleet must average 27.5 mpg, a requirement that has not changed for about 18 years, and light trucks must average 22.2 mpg, which will go to 24 by 2011.

Gasoline prices have leapt in recent weeks to a record nationwide average of $3.07 a gallon, or nearly 20 cents higher than two weeks earlier, according to the Lundberg Survey. In the Seattle-Bellevue- Everett area, the price of a gallon of unleaded gas averaged a record $3.45 Tuesday, according to AAA.