WASHINGTON, D.C. -

The National Automobile Dealers Association expected some backlash when 66 U.S. House members urged the chairman of the Committee of Appropriations to craft legislation that would put CAFE standards solely under the jurisdiction of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

A retort from a group of environmentalists came the same day.

The chief executive officers of eight U.S. environmental, science and public interest organizations wants NADA to drop its efforts to delay new fuel efficiency and vehicle pollution standards.

In an email message to Auto Remarketing, Bailey Wood Jr., NADA’s director of legislative affairs and communications, indicated the group’s letter to the association came as a result of correspondence that worked its way around Capitol Hill Wednesday.

Rep. Harold Rogers, chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, received the same letter also directed to Rep. Michael Simpson, chairman of the Subcommittee on Interior Environment and Related Agencies.

The 66 representatives who signed the letter want a provision stating fuel-economy regulation should be solely under the jurisdiction of NHTSA, “an agency that must consider market demand and job loss when setting a fuel-economy standard,” they wrote.

Currently, NHTSA, along with Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, oversee fuel-economy standards.

“Since 2009, fuel economy has been regulated under three different programs administered by three different agencies, under three different sets of rules, pursuant to three different laws,” the House members attributed to the letter declared.

“Redundant EPA and CARB regulation is wasteful and threatens to increase job loss and price many consumers out of the new-vehicle market,” they continued.

But the CEOs in their letter to NADA contend the association is the only organization lobbying policymakers to block potential change. The organizations sent a joint letter to NADA president Philip Brady calling on him to end opposition to the proposed fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas standards for new cars and light trucks sold in model years 2017–2025 to 54.5 miles per gallon. Following an agreement in principle between the Obama administration, California and major automakers this summer, they believe the standard setting process also is broadly supported by the industry, labor and public interest organizations.

“These standards are supported by major automakers, the United Auto Workers, California and other clean car states, and numerous consumer, environmental, business and national security organizations. By continuing to oppose these standards, NADA is trying to sell Congress, dealers and the American people a lemon,” reads the letter from CEOs of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club, Environment America, the Safe Climate Campaign, the Union of Concerned Scientists, all members of the Go60MPG coalition, as well as the CEOs of the Coalition for Clean Air, Clean Air Watch and Energy Independence Now.

The letter also states, “Delaying these standards will only force Americans to pay more at the gas pump, jeopardize new jobs and investments, put the health of our communities at risk from increased pollution and continue America’s dangerous dependence on oil.”

Overview of Administration CAFE Goals

During an event this past summer, President Obama and dozens of automaker executives and other industry officials gathered to mark the next phase in the administration’s program to increase fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas pollution for all new cars and trucks sold in the United States. Officials explained these new standards will cover cars and light trucks for model years 2017–2025, requiring performance equivalent to 54.5 mpg in 2025 while reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 163 grams per mile.

Taken together, the standards established under the administration span model years 2011 to 2025.

White House officials contend this plan will save consumers money, reduce the nation’s dependence on oil and protect the environment.

—Savings at the Pump: Thanks to the standards, the administration contends consumers will save an estimated $1.7 trillion dollars in real fuel costs over the life of their vehicles.

By 2025, official believe the standards are projected to save families an estimated $8,200 in fuel savings over the lifetime of a new vehicle, relative to the model year 2010 standard.

—Cutting Oil Dependence: White House officials used the savings at the pump projections to reinforce their argument here.

“As our cars and trucks become more fuel efficient, we will need to use less oil,” officials emphasize. “Over the life of the program, the standards will save an estimated 12 billion barrels of oil — nearly four years’ worth of consumption by light-duty vehicles at current levels."

By 2025, the administration believes standards for model year 2011–2025 will reduce oil consumption by an estimated 2.2 million barrels a day — more than the U.S. imports from any country other than Canada.

“As the vehicle fleet turns over and older vehicles are replaced with more efficient ones, the oil savings from these standards will grow, ultimately reaching over 4 million barrels a day — nearly as much as we import from all OPEC countries combined,” White House officials emphasized.

“The model year 2011–2025 standards are critical to meeting President Obama’s goal of cutting oil imports by one-third by 2025, contributing over half the savings needed to meet the president’s goal,” officials added.

—Protecting Human Health and the Environment: White House officials went on to emphasize these standards will reduce carbon dioxide pollution by more than 6 billion metric tons — equivalent to the emissions from the United States last year, or what the Amazon rainforest absorbs in three years.

“The standards will protect public health by cutting air pollutants such as air toxics, smog, and soot,” the administration contended.

White House officials recapped that this plan was developed in partnership with manufacturers, the state of California, the United Auto Workers (UAW), national environmental organizations and other stakeholders.

“These achievable and cost effective standards will bring the nation over halfway to the president’s goal of reducing oil imports by a third by 2025,” administration officials stressed.

“These standards thus represent a key component of the comprehensive energy policy that this administration has pursued since day one, which aims to increase safe and responsible energy production at home while reducing our overall dependence on oil with cleaner alternative fuels and greater efficiency,” they added.