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Fuel Economy Mandates Threaten Americans' Ability to Enjoy the Great Outdoors
WASHINGTON, May 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Tens of millions of Americans' enjoyment of the great outdoors is imperiled directly by onerous and unrealistic proposed vehicular fuel economy standards, testified Barry M. McCahill, president of Sport Utility Vehicle Owners of America (SUVOA), at a U.S. Senate hearing called to investigate the potential impacts of global warming on recreation and the recreation industry.
While SUVOA supports the goals of reducing fuel consumption, promoting energy independence and lowering emissions, McCahill spotlighted the federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program's failure over three decades to deliver on any of these objectives as well as CAFE's pernicious side effects: Increasing highway deaths and injuries while reducing vehicle utility.
"We are not a one-size-fits-all society. SUVs, pickups and vans fulfill important economic and social roles," said McCahill. "Most Americans who own them do so because these vehicles meet their family, business or lifestyle needs. Smaller vehicles would force them to give up important attributes they need and value. They are tired of having scolding fingers pointed at them."
With owners of SUVs and other larger vehicles feeling the pain of nearly all-time high gas prices more profoundly than other drivers, McCahill stressed their ardent desire for better fuel economy. But continued robust sales of such vehicles underscore that many Americans understand the inherent trade- offs of more efficient vehicles (which emit less carbon dioxide emissions associated with global climate change). Their purchase choices in an era of sustained high gas prices is a clear testament to the need for full-sized vehicles that offer utility and safety.
"Consumers are begging for ultra-high-mileage vehicles that meet their utility needs at competitive cost," McCahill testified. "The plain fact that considerable market pressures in recent years have not already provided such vehicles makes clear that legislation forcing their arrival will impose negative tradeoffs that consumers would not accept if they were fully apprised." Those tradeoffs include much higher prices that would not be recouped through savings at the gas pump, smaller vehicles, and reduced hauling and towing capacity.
McCahill observed that SUVs, pickups, vans, motor homes, trailered boats, horse trailers and campers enable families to travel to and enjoy America's countless outdoor wonders.
"The outdoor lifestyle, cherished and passed on by generations of Americans, could disappear if fuel economy mandates are pushed to the extreme -- or, at minimum, a luxury that only the wealthy could continue to enjoy," McCahill said.
McCahill's keen familiarity with the federal fuel economy program stems from nearly 20 years as a senior executive with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the agency that manages the CAFE program. Other highlights of McCahill's testimony:
-- Numerous experts have found that downsizing vehicles has compromised safety because smaller vehicles simply do not provide the same protection to their occupants as do larger vehicles. Studies on the topic have been authored by the National Academy of Sciences, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Brookings Institution and the Harvard School of Public Health. -- Americans have shifted into SUVs and other light trucks because CAFE- compromised cars no longer offer needed utility. For example, prior to CAFE, 70 percent of domestic passenger car models could tow a small boat or camper (2,100 pounds). Today, just one percent of cars can handle that load. There are an estimated 20 million recreational and utility "towables" in the U.S. -- SUVOA strongly supports thoughtful measures to reduce fuel consumption, including expansion of alternative and renewable fuels. The group urged the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to serve as a catalyst for making such fuels more available to American consumers.
SUVOA is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to supporting the rights and serving the interests of owners of approximately 100 utility vehicles including SUVs, pickups, vans, minivans and crossovers.
For more information about SUVOA visit http://www.suvoa.com/.
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