Consumers Union to Congress: HD Fuel Economy Info Should be Transparent

Consumers Union, the policy and mobilization division of Consumers Reports, sent a letter to key House and Senate committees, urging them to provide funding for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to disseminate fuel economy, emissions, and expected average fuel cost information for heavy-duty pickup trucks.

This information, which is widely available for light duty vehicles, is not available for the largest pickups like those Consumer Reports recently tested.  These pickups can cost $7,000 to $10,000 more to fuel during their first 15 years on the road than comparable light-duty versions.

In issuing the letter, David Friedman, director of cars and product policy for Consumers Union said, “A difference of one or two miles per gallon in a pickup makes a big difference in how much a consumer has to shell out for fuel. This information should be readily available so consumers can make informed decisions. Unfortunately, it is not. We are calling on NHTSA and EPA to make this information more transparent, through window stickers like those already available for light duty pickups and by publishing this information on fueleconomy.gov. To ensure there’s no reason for delay, we are asking Congress to provide the resources necessary for the agencies to make this happen.”

The Consumers Union letter regarding fuel economy was sent to the leadership of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the House Committee on Appropriations, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

Category: General Update, News