Legislative Fiat and Gas Mileage

Great article over at the American Spectator by Eric Peters on a new legislative attempt to increase fuel standards. The shameful part is that this time it is two Republicans. The targets this time are trucks and SUVs - and they want these vehicles to raise the average mileage from around 22 mpg to 35. In addition to being technically challenging (if not impossible) Peters points out that many vehicles already exist that achieve that goal - and that some people prefer
something else.

"The thing is, not everyone values fuel economy uber alles. Many buyers need (or want) a larger, more powerful vehicle, and are willing to pay a little (or even a lot) more at the pump for the privilege. Why should Washington meddle? And how does it benefit anyone for legislators to dictate to automakers that they shall design their cars in accordance with what bureaucrats and politicians think is right and proper -- vs. what the buyers are willing to exchange their hard-earned dollars for?"

Some people, of course, just don't like pickups and SUVs - hate them, in fact, to the point of trying to prevent anyone from owning and driving such a vehicle. You simply can't get around the laws of physics, however; if you want to own a vehicle that can tow a ton of cargo, it's got to use more energy, and you already pay more to purchase such vehicles and to operate them. So why make them even more expensive by setting arbitrary mileage targets and crippling the American auto industry as well? As Peters also notes, the "conservation" argument doesn't wash due to the fact that people drive more as the milage increases - it makes no difference in the greater scheme of things if 2 hours of driving an SUV burns X gallons of fuel or 5 hours of driving a smaller passenger vehicle burns X gallons. The other argument against setting such targets is safety drops; a lighter vehicle is inherently more dangerous for people when said vehicle is involved in a collision.