Everybody loves tighter CAFE standards:

DETROIT (AP) — In an unprecedented move, the Sierra Club and United Auto Workers union have joined forces to take a stand against a Bush administration plan to change federal fuel economy regulations.

In a co-written article on the Op-Ed page of Wednesday’s New York Times, Sierra Club executive director Carl Pope and UAW president Ron Gettelfinger — whose groups often are at odds over national automobile policy — say the Bush administration’s plans to scrap existing fuel economy standards would reduce overall fuel economy and increase pollution. … “

> AP: “Union, environmental group take stand against proposed fuel economy rules”

Read the Op-Ed: in the New York Times – “More Jobs to the Gallon” An excerpt:

“… The Bush administration is proposing to scrap these standards for a new system that would establish a series of vehicle weight categories, with a separate standard for each category. Basically, heavier vehicles would have lower fuel standards. Since they would no longer need to meet a fleetwide average, automakers would be free to add weight to all of their vehicles to make them qualify for heavier weight categories.

The result would be a reduction in overall fuel economy and an increase in pollution. America’s dependence on foreign oil would increase, and our environment would suffer.

The shift to a weight-based system could also jeopardize the jobs of thousands of Americans who work, either directly or indirectly, on the production of small cars. … “