Commerce Committee hearing on CAFE Standards now

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Oversight Hearing on the Corporate Average Fuel Economy Program

Tuesday, March 6, 2007
10:30 AM
Link for Live Webcast: http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.ByMonth
SR - 253

Witnesses

Opening Remarks

Panel 1
Hon. Nicole Nason
Administrator
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Ms. Katherine Siggerud
Director, Physical Infrastructure Team
Government Accountability Office

Panel 2
Dr. David J. Friedman
Union of Concerned Scientists

Ms. Elizabeth Lowery
Vice President, Environment and Energy
General Motors

Dr. David Greene
Corporate Research Fellow, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
National Transportation Research Center

Mr. Tom Stricker
Director, Technical and Regulatory Affairs
Toyota Motor North America

Mr. Alan Reuther
Legislative Director, International Union
United Auto Workers

Background info: http://www.policyalmanac.org/environment/archive/crs_cafe_standards.shtml

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1. Senate Commerce Committee Membership

Democrats

Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (HI)
John D. Rockefeller (WV)
John F. Kerry (MA)
Byron L. Dorgan (ND)
Barbara Boxer (CA)
Bill Nelson (FL)
Maria Cantwell (WA)
Frank R. Lautenberg (NJ)
Mark Pryor (AR)
Thomas Carper (DE)
Claire McCaskill (MO)
Amy Klobuchar (MN)

Republicans

Co-Chairman Ted Stevens (AK)
John McCain (AZ)
Trent Lott (MS)
Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX)
Olympia J. Snowe (ME)
Gordon H. Smith (OR)
John Ensign (NV)
John E. Sununu (NH)
Jim DeMint (SC)
David Vitter (LA)
John Thune (SD)

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2. Sen Pryor is chairing this hearing

Administrator Nason is testifying for the Bush Administration as the NHTSA rep.

She extolling how much the Bush Admin has done for raising CAFE standards. (She is extolling the light trucks ratings????)

NHTSA says that the standards in the early 90's cost lives because the auto manufacturers could downsize models without a cost in fuel efficiency. (CAFE standards cost lives because lighter cars were on the road. ?????)

Pres wants to raise the standards. (More free market talk about how the market will set this due to conditions.) 2010 model year cars have to have better ratings by then.

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3. Need some reporting help here

Will do what I can, but am also at work. Sigh!

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4. Sen. Stevens says he wants 40 MPG by 2017