Washington (Platts)--21May2007

A new survey by the Consumer Federation of America finds strong support
for higher vehicle fuel-efficiency standards in the US, including in areas
where people are more dependent on cars and where many vehicle manufacturing
plants are located. 

     Eighty-one percent of the more than 1,000 adults surveyed said they favor
an increase of one mile per gallon/year in Corporate Average Fuel Economy
(CAFE) standards; 55% said they "strongly" favor such action.

     "Surprisingly, there is significantly more support for these increases in
the auto-dependent North Central region of the country than in the other three
regions," CFA said. Eighty-eight percent support such an increase in CAFE in
that region, which stretches from Ohio to the Dakotas and from Minnesota to
Missouri. Auto company facilities are "disproportionately" located there, it
said.

     The survey found support to higher CAFE standards at 82% in the
Northeast, 78% in the South and 79% in the West.

     The survey comes amid increasing calls for better fuel efficiency in the
US. The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee this month
approved a bill (S. 357) that would increase CAFE standards by 10 mph in 10
years; a companion bill (H.R. 1506) is pending in the House.

     Among other questions, the survey found 84% of the respondents were
concerned about US oil imports.