Legislative Background
Recent Action on CAFE Standards
The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 estabplished corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards for new passenger cars. In 1994, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed a rulemaking to explore the possibility of also raising the CAFE standard for light-duty trucks. Congress responded by including language in the Fiscal Year (FY) 1996_2001 Department of Transportation authorization bill prohibiting the use of appropriated funds for any rulemaking on CAFE, effectively freezing the standards at 27.5 miles per gallon (mpg) for passenger cars and 20.7 mpg for light trucks, a classification that includes sport utility vehicles (SUVs).National Academy of…
