Jun. 28--WASHINGTON -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said today that she supports a Senate bill raising fuel economy standards to 35 miles per gallon by 2020, and declined to say whether she would block a similar proposal from coming to the House floor nex month.

The California Democrat spoke at the unveiling of a package of energy bills that Democrats plan to take to the House floor next month, part of a vow Pelosi made when she became speaker in January to produce "energy independence" bills by July 4. Those bills do not include any fuel economy increases, after a plan from Rep. John Dingell favored by the auto industry was pulled due to opposition from Pelosi and other Democrats. Dingell reiterated Thursday that his Energy and Commerce Committee woul tackle fuel economy and other more divisive provisions later this year. "This is the consensus package that we will bring to the floor," Pelosi said.

"That is not the end of the debate ... but it will be an open debate." When asked directly whether she would push the fuel economy debate back to September, Pelosi said she and Dingell "are in conversation ... about how to proceed on some of the other issues. "The full committee will work its will, and so will the Congress, and it will do so in the fullest and most open way," Pelosi said. Detroit automakers and Toyota Motor Corp. oppose the Senate bill, and contend if signed into law could force the industry to stop selling some larger vehicles and threaten the survival of Chrysler, the Auburn Hills automaker that is being acquired by Ce berus Capital Management.

The main proposal in the House sets a 35 m.p.g. target by 2018, which the automakers' trade group has called "overly aggressive and unrealistic." Backers of tougher fuel economy standards in the House have pledged to push their proposals ahead over the next several weeks. Before the broader bills come to the floor sometime in July, the House Rules committee will determine what type of amendments ould be offered. If the debate reaches the House floor next month, Dingell and the industry's supporters will be ready with their own fuel-economy plan. Details on the alternative being worked on by Dingell, Rep.

Fred Upton, R-Mich., and others have not been made public but an earlier proposal from Dingell's committee called for the industry to meet standards of 36 m.p.g. for cars after 2021 and 30 m.p.g. for trucks after 2024. Contact JUSTIN HYDE,/b> at 202-906-8204 or jhyde@freepress.com.