An energy bill approved on Dec. 13 by the United States Senate that would lead to the creation of a national rolling resistance consumer education program is headed to the U.S. House of Representatives. The House is expected to vote on the bill this week.
If the bill receives House approval, it will go to the White House. "President Bush has indicated he will sign it," says Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) spokesman Dan Zielinski.
The bill, which has been stripped down, would boost federal automobile fuel efficiency requirements. (Earlier this year, it was amended to include language that would create the information program.)
If the bill becomes law, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will have up to 24 months to start rulemaking on the program, says Zielinksi.
The RMA is in favor of a national rolling resistance consumer education program rather than the prospect of each state creating its own program. A national program would "pre-empt 49 states from creating their own programs. California already has their own."
