GOP Lawmakers Attack Fuel Economy Plan

The Obama administration's proposed fuel economy rules for 2017-2025 are unrealistic and biased in favor of domestic automakers, according to a report released by Congressional Republicans.

The document, which was written by GOP staffers for the House Oversight and Government Reform committee, also alleges the regulations would force consumers to drive "expensive, unpopular and unsafe" vehicles.

The White House is expected this week to finalize the new standards, which would require light vehicles to average 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. The administration says improved fuel economy will reduce pollution, save consumers billions of dollars on fuel and reduce the country's reliance on foreign oil.

The report, which cites notes and e-mails from government and company officials, asserts the administration played automakers off each other to gain a tactical advantage. It charges that private meetings to discuss the new regulations were a "raw political process designed to appease environmental extremists."

The senior Democrat on the oversight panel calls it "ridiculous" to argue that the Obama administration tried to weaken the auto industry within two years of rescuing it.

Environmentalists who were part of the process say they made compromises too. They contend it would be foolish for Congress to undo rules supported by the industry being regulated.

Most major automakers in the U.S. backed the proposal. The exceptions, which included Daimler and Volkswagen, griped that the plan omits credits for diesel-powered vehicles and creates an advantage for light pickup trucks and SUVs, which are most often produced by domestic carmakers.

The report includes e-mails from officials at Japanese auto officials who also grumbled about favoritism toward domestic companies. One Toyota executive called the plan a "second bailout for Detroit."

A General Motors Co. executive complained in an e-mail about the dominant role of California regulators, who have the authority to regulate tailpipe emissions of carbon dioxide within the state. A trade group lobbyist wrote that the state was wielding its power like a gun to the industry's head.

But environmentalists note that California was involved at the request of carmakers, which wanted a single federal standard that satisfied the state, thus avoiding a patchwork of rules.