Senators harp on Detroit for not providing better fuel economy, push for tougher CAFE standards

Four US Senators took to the microphone yesterday to accuse Detroit of "stonewalling" and "getting into a bunker mentality" when it comes to providing vehicles with better fuel economy. Dianne Feinstein, Dick Durbin, Olympia Snowe, and Lincoln Chafee are sponsoring a bill they call "Ten in Ten" that would call for increasing the fleetwide Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) to 37 MPG by 2017 - trucks and all. Also included is a requirement for on-board mileage displays by 2013. The proposal is said to save up to 2.5M barrels of oil each day. Manufacturers who could not comply with the new standards would be allowed to purchase credits from those who exceed the fleet mileage requirements.

Chrysler's VP of communications Jason Vines has already fired back, stating that the proposal isn't technically feasible and that automakers would already be making mainstream vehicles with better fuel economy if they could. Toyota's Jo Cooper also voiced concerns about the proposal, stating that the increased requirements don't "sound like much, but that's a huge leap forward".

[Source: Detroit News]