John Campbell: “I rise today to ask that while the House consider this energy legislation, that they take into account that the CAFE…”

“I rise today to ask that while the House consider this energy legislation, that they take into account that the CAFE provision in this bill does nothing to clarify the critical issue of which federal government agency has the lead on regulating fuel economy. To effectively improve fuel economy there cannot be two separate sets of fuel economy standards--one from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and another from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Having two agencies with inconsistent standards creates substantial regulatory uncertainty, confusion, and duplication of effort. Most importantly, the legislation gives EPA free rein on the fuel economy issue which would allow them the ability to supersede Congressional authority over CAFE. This could mean that EPA could establish a CAFE standard that far exceeds the standard passed by Congress. The White House agrees that one agency needs to be the lead entity responsible for a single national regulatory standard. The legislation should have harmonized EPA and NHTSA's distinct roles to regulate fuel economy and emissions. A single, nationwide fuel economy standard would create certainty and achieve the mutual goal of reducing gasoline consumption in an effective manner. It is my hope that this problem be remedied.”