Thursday, July 28, 2005
White House Rule #11 - Never let facts stand in the way of good policy
With Congress poised for a final vote on the energy bill, the Environmental Protection Agency made an 11th-hour decision Tuesday to delay the planned release of an annual report on fuel economy.
The contents of the report show that loopholes in American fuel economy regulations have allowed automakers to produce cars and trucks that are significantly less fuel-efficient, on average, than they were in the late 1980's.
Eryn Witcher, a spokeswoman for the E.P.A., said the timing of the release of the report had nothing to do with the energy bill deliberations.
"We are committed to sharing our scientific studies with the public in the most comprehensive and understandable format possible," she said. "Issue experts are reviewing the fuel economy data and we look forward to providing a summary of the information next week."
"Something's fishy when the Bush administration delays a report showing no
improvement in fuel economy until after passage of their energy bill, which
fails to improve fuel economy," said Daniel Becker, the Sierra Club's top global
warming strategist.
