WASHINGTON
--Ten states, including Maine, sued the federal government Tuesday to
try to force the Bush administration to strengthen gas mileage
requirements for sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks.
The
lawsuit contends the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
failed to conduct a thorough analysis of the environmental benefits of
fuel economy regulations and the impact of gasoline consumption on
climate change.
"The
federal agency has ignored the law that requires integrating
environmental impacts into their standard-setting," California Attorney
General Bill Lockyer said in an interview with The Associated Press.
The
states filed a petition for review with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals in San Francisco. The action follows the release of a
government rule in late March setting tighter gas mileage rules for
pickups, SUVs and vans covering the 2008-2011 model years.
The
Bush administration said the program, based on the vehicle's size, was
expected to save 10.7 billion gallons of fuel over the lifetime of the
vehicles sold during that period.
NHTSA
spokesman Rae Tyson defended the rulemaking process, saying the agency
conducted a thorough analysis of fuel-saving technologies while
balancing the need to raise standards with safety and economic
ramifications.
"We're
confident that we went through a very rigorous process in writing the
final light truck standard and we're confident that it will get upheld
in court," Tyson said.
Charles
Territo, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers,
declined comment on the lawsuit. The trade group, which represents nine
automakers, has said the new standards will be a challenge but they
have developed alternative-fuel vehicles and more than 100 vehicles
earning at least 30 miles per gallon.
Plans for the lawsuit were first reported by The New York Times.
Amid
rising gas prices and worries about energy independence, the
administration asked Congress last week to give it the authority to
change fuel economy standards for passenger cars.
Environmentalists
have expressed disappointment with the light truck rule that would lead
to a fleetwide average of 24 mpg by 2011. The program will be phased in
through 2010, with automakers having the option of complying under the
old system until the new rules take full effect in 2011.
Maine
Attorney General Steven Rowe said the Bush administration is ignoring
federal procedural requirements and proclaiming that states can't adopt
California-style vehicle emission standards.
"Our
federal government must do more than talk the talk. If it can't walk
the walk, then it should get out of the states' way," Rowe said.
"The
proposed upgrade in fuel economy standards is a complete sham and a
gift to the auto industry," said Connecticut Attorney General Richard
Blumenthal.
Blumenthal
said in an AP interview that the analysis was "fundamentally flawed"
and the new regulations failed "to consider the dangerous impact of
gasoline consumption on climate change," allowing larger vehicles to be
built with greater weight and less fuel economy.
The
10 states include California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New
Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont. The
District of Columbia and New York City were also plaintiffs.
Associated Press Writer Erica Werner contributed to this report.
