40 mpg? Congress just might go for it

Amid heightened concerns over global warming and U.S. dependence on foreign oil, Stevens is one of a number of lawmakers shifting gears in the debate over whether Congress should mandate stricter miles-per-gallon rules.

"I'm trying to protect my state," said Stevens, who recently called climate change "more apparent in Alaska than anywhere else."

The 83-year-old senator's change of heart illustrates how the landscape has shifted in Congress, and could signal a turning point in the long campaign by environmentalists -- successfully fended off by Detroit -- to toughen fuel-economy standards.

"There is clear bipartisan agreement, for the first time in 30 years, that Congress is going to have to act to increase fuel economy standards," said Philip E. Clapp, president of the National Environmental Trust.

Cars and light trucks -- including SUVs, pickups and vans -- account for about one-fifth of U.S. carbon dioxide production. The better the fuel economy, the lower the emissions of carbon dioxide, blamed for contributing to global warming.

For years, Congress has debated whether to mandate higher standards as the fleet-average fuel economy has declined from its peak in the mid-1980s. Under a 1975 law passed after the Arab oil embargo, each automaker's car fleet must average 27.5 miles per gallon and its light trucks 22.2 miles per gallon. The car standard has been untouched for 18 years; the truck standard will increase to 24 miles per gallon by 2011.

Stevens is sponsoring a bill to raise the standards for cars to 40 miles per gallon within a decade. Just two years ago, he voted against a similar measure. Stevens said he is convinced Detroit can build more fuel-efficient cars.

"Unless we put some urgency behind it and tell them we mean business," he said in a recent interview, "nothing's going to happen."

Legislation to require an increase faces strong opposition from the U.S. auto industry and its congressional allies, who contend it would lead to lighter, less safe vehicles; threaten auto industry jobs; and limit consumer choice.

Citing Detroit's economic woes, Rep. Joe L. Barton of Texas, the top Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said: "The last time I looked at the business pages, Ford and GM were