Lawmakers get red over green-car rule

WASHINGTON — Rep. Elton Gallegly of California likes his taxpayer-funded Ford Expedition. He isn't worried that it's not the most fuel-efficient car. It's reliable, suits his mountainous district and is cheaper to lease than many other vehicles.

"It's not a Cadillac. It's not a Lincoln. It's a Ford," the Republican congressman said with exasperation.

But like it or not, Gallegly and other lawmakers will have to give up gas-hungry SUVs and luxury sedans for leased vehicles that are more eco-correct, such as Toyota's Prius.

Some are in a high-octane fit about it.

"A Prius isn't made in the United States," Gallegly said.

Congress has been bearing down to do more about global warming, and a little-noticed amendment to last year's energy bill has hit especially close to home. It requires House members who lease vehicles through their office budgets to drive cars that emit low levels of greenhouse gases.

Among those affected: Texas Republican Joe Barton, who probably will have to give up his Chevy Tahoe, despite his protests that it is made in his district. "I guarantee you my district is not upset that I'm driving a Chevy Tahoe," he said.

The effort to steer lawmakers into vehicles that get better mileage comes as Congress has mandated more fuel-efficient vehicles for the public and pump prices have surged.

The requirement was sought by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., who figured that if his colleagues were serious about reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and U.S. dependence on foreign oil, they ought to do something, too.

Cleaver does. The taxpayer-funded Ford Econoline, a recycled airport shuttle he uses as a mobile office, runs on cooking grease. But he's heard grumbling from colleagues.

"They want their Lexuses and their Cadillacs," he said. "I just think it's a poor example for us to spend so much time talking about energy independence and global warming and presenting to the people an image of fat cats living the fat life."

The use of a vehicle — gas included — is one of the lesser-known benefits of being a member of the House.

There is no limit on how much money the members can spend. Not only does the federal government pick up the cost of the lease and the gas, but also general maintenance, insurance, registration fees and excess-mileage charges.

About 130 of the 435 House members lease vehicles, according to an analysis by the Los Angeles Times and the nonpartisan Taxpayers for Common Sense.

Under Cleaver's legislation, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will determine which vehicles lawmakers will be allowed to lease, a list that's expected before the end of the year.

Senators are not allowed to use their office budgets for long-term vehicle leases. Lawmakers can seek mileage reimbursements when they use their vehicles for congressional business.

The EPA list could include vehicles such as the Ford Escape hybrid, the Mercury Mariner hybrid and the Prius, which received high scores in EPA's "Green Vehicle Guide."

The lease requirement passed narrowly in August after a brief debate, with most Democrats supporting it and most Republicans opposing it. Reaction to the requirement has varied.

Some Republicans lashed out at Democrats, accusing the House leadership of hypocrisy.

"I will start driving a green car once Pelosi starts ballooning back and forth from coast to coast to save jet fuel," said Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Fla., referring to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who has made climate change a top priority.

Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said the Chevy Suburban the speaker uses was selected by the sergeant-at-arms, who oversees her security. But he said she has asked that her next vehicle be a hybrid.

The green requirement has also drawn criticism from Democrats.

Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., the longest-serving House member, drives a Ford Escape hybrid leased by his campaign. But he voted against the requirement because "historically, members have been held accountable by their constituents for these types of actions," his spokeswoman said.

Other lawmakers said their districts require sturdier vehicles.

Patrick Creighton, a spokesman for Rep. John Peterson, R-Pa., who leases a flex-fuel Chevy Tahoe, said the congressman's district is large, with mountainous terrain covered with snow part of the year — "not the type of terrain a Mini Cooper was built to cover."

For New York Rep. Louise Slaughter, a Buffalo-area Democrat, safety was a worry, given her sprawling district that includes a swath that is treacherous in winter. She uses a 2007 Buick Lucerne, which she leases for $808.29 a month.

"For the longest time, I didn't do it at all," she said of leasing. But the Lucerne, she said, had good traction and, perhaps more important, came equipped with a satellite-tracking system.

"I figured if I got stuck in a snowbank, people could find me," she said.

Several lawmakers scoffed at the green requirement, saying that forcing lawmakers into less-polluting vehicles would do almost nothing regarding climate change. They suggested that Congress could take more significant action to reduce oil imports.

Material from The New York Times is included in this report.