Conservative Sen. Slade Gorton (R-Wash.) has entered into an odd alliance with the Sierra Club to push for higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars and light trucks. At a press conference last Thursday, Gorton was joined by Sierra Club official Dan Becker and Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) and Richard Bryan (Nev.) in pushing a resolution that would allow the Department of Transportation to study the current corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards and determine if they should be raised. A Senate vote is expected on the measure this week; a similar measure failed last year. Meanwhile, a new federal report shows that Ford Motor Co., which claims it wants to be an environmental leader, fell short last year of the federal government’s current CAFE targets.
