House Lawmakers: No Letter Grades on New Cars

Dozens of House lawmakers are putting a big red "F''
on a government plan to put letter grades on the
window stickers of new cars and trucks to rate a
vehicle's fuel efficiency.

Fifty-three House members said in a letter Wednesday
to the Environmental Protection Agency and the
Transportation Department that a proposal to add
letter grades to the stickers was biased in favor of
electric cars and would hurt sales of sport utility
vehicles and trucks. Consumers use the stickers to
compare vehicles when shopping for a new vehicle.

"Changing this system to a letter grade would cause
consumer confusion and tip the scales unfairly
against many fuel efficient SUVs and trucks, relegating
them to a C or C+ grade," said Rep. Dale Kildee,
D-Mich. The letter was signed by 17 Democrats and
36 Republicans.

The Obama administration said in August it was
considering adding grades ranging from A+ for
the most fuel-efficient to D for the least fuel-efficient
to the stickers. Environmentalists have said the
changes will make it easier for consumers to compare
vehicles and save money at the gas pump.

But the lawmakers said the plan was "biased in favor
of certain types of vehicles" and only electric cars and
plug-in hybrid electric vehicles could earn an A or
A+. They support an alternative that would
maintain the current label's focus on the miles per
gallon rating.

The stickers have not been updated in three decades
and the government wants the labels to reflect new
technologies and account for emissions affecting the
environment.

Under the letter grade proposal, an average vehicle
would receive a B- on fuel efficiency and greenhouse
gas emissions.