S.Amdt. 2169

SA 2169. Ms. CANTWELL submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill H.R. 3058, making appropriations for the Departments of Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, District of Columbia, and independent agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2006, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

SEC. __. UPDATED FUEL ECONOMY LABELING PROCEDURES.

(a) In General.--The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall, as appropriate and in consultation with the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, update and revise the process used to determine fuel economy values for labeling purposes as set forth in sections 600.209-85 and 600.209.95 of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, to take into consideration current factors such as speed limits, acceleration rates, braking, variations in weather and temperature, vehicle load, use of air conditioning, driving patterns, and the use of other fuel consuming features. The Administrator shall use existing emissions test cycles and, or, updated adjustment factors to implement the requirements of this subsection.

(b) Deadline.--The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall--

(1) publish a notice of proposed rulemaking not later than March 31, 2006, to carry out subsection (a); and

(2) promulgate a final rule not later than 18 months after the date on which the Administrator issues the notice under paragraph (1).

(c) Report.--Three years after issuing the final rule required by subsection (b), and every 3 years thereafter, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall reconsider the fuel economy labeling procedures required under subsection (a) to determine if the changes in the factors require revisiting the process. The Administrator shall report to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives on the outcome of the reconsideration process.