Gas Mileage

Here we go again. Gasoline prices are breaking through the barrier of $2 a gallon, and some dire forecasts see prices going to $3 by summer. At current prices, a typical family would spend $3,000 a year on gasoline, assuming two vehicles that get 20 miles per gallon and drive 15,000 miles annually. A bump up to $3 a gallon would push annual spending to $4,500. And while you can't do anything about the rise in gasoline prices, you can reduce the amount of gas you use. True, the type of car or truck you drive is the biggest factor in how far you stretch a gallon of gas. So that won't change in the near term, unless you are car-shopping.

Marylanders say they're very concerned about the high price of gasoline. So concerned, in fact, that in a new statewide poll for The Sun, 62 percent of those surveyed said they will think twice about the size and gas mileage of the next car they buy. But the same poll shows that when it comes to taking simple gas-saving steps like using public transportation, cutting down on shopping trips or vacationing closer to home, an even larger percentage are...

WASHINGTON - Pushing to finish a sweeping energy bill this week, the Senate rejected yesterday a proposal that would have forced automakers to meet higher fuel economy standards, bowing to concerns that it could hurt U.S. auto manufacturers and their workers, and make automobiles less safe. By a vote of 65-32, the Senate rejected an amendment by Democratic Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois that would have required carmakers to drastically increase - to 40 miles per gallon from 27.5 - the average fuel economy of their vehicles by 2015.

LONG POND, Pa. - What Winston Cup points leader Matt Kenseth calls "the gas thing" had almost every competitor in the Pennsylvania 500 Winston Cup race here in a state of mental distress. The only driver who didn't have a headache was Ryan Newman, the pole sitter. He somehow managed to stay calm when he fell back in the field early in the race. His crew picked the right times for pit stops, to put him at the front of the field when it mattered. And, cautions fell at the perfect times for him to stretch his fuel supply far enough to hold off a big charge from Kurt Busch over the final 10 laps and win the race.

Failure to improve auto fuel efficiency is short-sighted folly Dan Rodricks hit a home run on the subject of the Senate's recent folly in stalling higher fuel economy standards ("Senate should have stepped on the gas to OK auto bill," column, March 18). SUVs and minivans with higher fuel efficiency are perfectly viable, despite the protests of the automobile industry that higher standards would either deny Americans the right to choose their favorite cars or bankrupt the industry. Mr. Rodricks has it right: That's malarkey.

ARLINGTON, Va. - Politicians in our nation's capital are taking steps that will almost inevitably increase fatalities on our nation's roads. Their reason is as straightforward as it is frightening: to curry favor with environmental special interest groups in an election year. These environmental groups are calling for new fuel mileage regulations. Sen. John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota are spearheading the environmentalist agenda and plan to introduce new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE)

DOVER, Del. -- During the final five laps, team owner Jack Roush recited numbers with precise regularity."Eleven-point-seven second lead with five to go, Mark. 11.7, four to go. 11.1 three to go. 11.3, two to go. Here's the white flag, Mark."And then as Mark Martin drove his Ford under the waving green flag on a fall-like afternoon at Dover Downs International Speedway, Martin felt a sense of satisfaction, as he complimented his owner on giving the team the means with which to win the MBNA 400 Winston Cup race.

Nearly buried in the pileup of new taxes the House of Delegates passed Tuesday night is a proposal that could dramatically affect the cost of buying a new car in Maryland.Starting this summer, the measure would penalize consumers who purchase new automobiles that guzzle gas while rewarding those who buy fuel "sippers." The difference could mean hundreds of dollars added to or subtracted from a car's purchase price.If the Senate agrees to the plan, Maryland would be the first state to adopt such a tax.Since 1980, the federal government has penalized manufacturers and importers of gas-guzzler cars, charging them $1,000 to $7,700 for each car they market that gets less than 22.5 miles a gallon.

WASHINGTON -- A Nevada senator wants to see the average new car get 40 miles per gallon by the turn of the century. Detroit automakers and their allies on Capitol Hill want him to take a hike.The controversial issue of boosting the fuel efficiency of cars was dropped from the energy bill now before the Senate. Democratic leaders feared the provision would derail the entire measure.But Sen. Richard H. Bryan, D-Nev., the Senate's chief advocate of fuel efficiency, said he may push ahead with a separate bill this year that would require all automakers to make cars that get better gas mileage by 2001.