Newly passed CAFE regulations will force automakers to average 35 mpg by 2020 – an increase of about 40 percent over today’s standards — but some law makers feel that those standards are still not tough enough, especially with the recent spike in fuel prices.
Representative Edward Markey – a Democrat from Massachusetts and chairman of a House committee on climate change and energy independence – is proposing a new mandate that would require a 35 mpg average by 2015 – a full five years ahead of CAFE’s schedule.
As it stands now, automakers will have to achieve a 31.6 mph average by 2015 – a stat that some automakers already think is too aggressive.
Markey called the cost effectiveness of the CAFE regulations “absurd”, pointing out that targets were based on gas costing $2.42 a gallon.
Markey, along with other law makers, will be sending a letter to the which is currently accepting comments on proposed fuel economy rules until July 1, according to Automotive News.
