Frank Lautenberg: “I rise to support the Gorton-Feinstein motion to instruct. This states that the House CAFE freeze rider ought not to be…”

“I rise to support the Gorton-Feinstein motion to instruct. This states that the House CAFE freeze rider ought not to be accepted by the Senate in conference. When CAFE standards were first passed in the late 1970s, light trucks made up only 20 percent of the market. Back then, light trucks were used mainly for hauling. They did not often travel through congested urban and suburban areas. But all that has changed. Today, light trucks--the category that includes SUVs and minivans--represent half of all vehicles sold. They produce 47 percent more global warming pollution than do cars. Each light truck goes through an average of 702 gallons of gas per year. That compares to 492 gallons per year for cars. Goodness knows what is happening now as we look at these prices, recognizing that our consumption of fuel is way above what it had been, importing more from what at times are very unfriendly sources. We are just on a consumption kick that is affecting our way of life but particularly our environment.”