Lawmakers Reject Bid to Increase CAFE Standards, Consider Amendment to Extend Daylight-Savings

Washington DC July 20, 2005; The AIADA newsletter reported that on Tuesday July 18, House and Senate Democratic conferees unsuccessfully offered an amendment to increase federal fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks by 1 mile per gallon a year in each of the next 10 years, reports Reuters. An option to increase CAFE standards by 1 mile per gallon in each of the next five years also failed.

Also yesterday, Senate Energy and Natural Resources ranking member Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), offered an amendment modifying House-passed language expanding daylight-saving time by two months. The amendment will shorten the period that daylight-saving time would be extended. Many farmers are opposed the extra two months because they will have to start their workday in the dark. The daylight-saving time bill sponsored by Representatives Fred Upton (R-MI), and Edward Markey (D-MA) extends daylight-saving time by one month on each end by changing the starting date to the first Sunday in March and the ending date to the last Sunday in November.

Supporters of the bill claim extending daylight-saving time would save about 100,000 barrels of oil a day because offices and stores open while it was still light outside would use less energy. Senate energy conferees might also offer an amendment to reinsert language in the conference report to require the president to come up with a plan to reduce oil consumption in the next decade by 1 million barrels a day. The plan would not mandate any specific action, leaving it up to the president to figure out how to save the oil.

The Senate-approved proposal, is opposed by the Bush administration, and was dropped during earlier staff negotiations. Energy conferees will continue negotiations Thursday in an effort to resolve the unfinished issues.