Lobbying by the automakers and the United Auto Workers, plus others, convinced the Senate to halt a plan to raise vehicle fuel efficiency standards.

The 62-38 vote came as lawmakers worked their way through a comprehensive energy bill. The measure generally follows the pro-energy company and pro-development pattern proposed last year by President George W. Bush.

In another difference between unions and environmentalists on the legislation, the Teamsters continued their campaign to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil drilling. A filibuster may doom that plan.

Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and John Kerry, D-Mass., proposed raising corporate average fuel economy requirements - fuel economy standards - to an average of 36 miles per gallon for all vehicles in an automaker's output by the year 2016. They said raising the standard, now 24 miles per gallon, could save millions of barrels of now-imported Middle Eastern oil. In reality, U.S. cars and trucks average fewer than 24 miles per gallon, due to popularity of sport utility vehicles.

Threat to jobs?
But the UAW argued that raising the standards would discriminate against the 'Big Three' U.S. automakers - Ford, GM, and DaimlerChrysler - and thus endanger workers' jobs.

'It would impose a much heavier burden on the Big Three because their product mix is much more oriented towards larger cars and trucks,' UAW explained. 'The net result would be to force the Big Three to curtail production of larger vehicles, causing substantial job loss for UAW members and other workers.'

In addition, Kerry and McCain would have let the automakers count overseas production in their fuel economy averages, thus encouraging closure of U.S. auto plants and opening of foreign auto plants to make smaller, more fuel-efficient cars.

In the end, the Senate voted to let the Transportation Department study, for two years, the need for new fuel economy standards. And it voted to exempt pickup trucks from any new standards DOT comes up with.

While senators debated fuel efficiency, Teamsters President James Hoffa and National Association of Manufacturers President Jerry Jasinowski campaigned for drilling in ANWR. Hoffa met Senators Robert Torricelli, D-N.J., Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich), Thomas Carper, D-Del., and others. New Jersey and Delaware house major petrochemical companies.

Hoffa focused on forcing an up-or-down vote on ANWR, which is subject to a potential filibuster, and on the fact that it will create jobs. The Teamsters, citing a Wharton School of Finance study, say ANWR drilling will create at least 300,000 jobs and reduce dependence on foreign oil.

'Some of our friends in the Senate have already declared their opposition to opening ANWR. However, we ask them for a fair process - meaning an opportunity for an up-or-down vote on the ANWR amendment,' Hoffa told a press conference.

This article was written by Press Associates, Inc., news service. Used by permission.