Automobile Fuel Economy Act of 2001

The Automobile Fuel Economy Act of 2001 (S. 804) was designed to increase fuel efficiency requirements for light trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) to match the higher standards already required for passenger cars. If enacted, the bill would have required these larger vehicles to achieve an average of 27.5 miles per gallon by the year 2007. For everyday citizens, this legislation aimed to reduce consumer fuel costs and decrease national gasoline consumption by closing the "light truck loophole" that allowed SUVs and minivans to meet lower efficiency benchmarks than sedans.