What’s in a name? In the case of “car” versus “light truck,” the name means a lot — so the auto industry and environmentalists are watching closely as the Bush administration begins redefining cars and trucks as it revamps fuel-economy standards. Currently, light trucks are subject to far weaker gas-mileage requirements than passenger cars, a difference environmentalists have long accused automakers of exploiting to escape more stringent rules. It’s unclear whether the new fuel-economy standards will close the loophole; some fear they will go the other direction. An anonymous Bush administration official said the goal of the rewrite is to achieve “even greater fuel economy in model years 2008 and beyond while simultaneously protecting safety and American jobs.” But the Sierra Club’s Daniel Becker expressed concern that Bush administration officials will back a plan “that increases our gas guzzling to please their friends in Detroit and Houston.”
