The Region - News from Nov. 15, 1985

Hoping to force a hearing on a recent federal decision reducing fuel economy standards for 1986 passenger cars, Los Angeles City Atty. James K. Hahn has filed petitions seeking a review of that decision in the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington. A coalition of consumer and environmental groups and the cities of New York, Boston and Chicago also are filing petitions challenging the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Oct. 1 order lowering the standard from 27.5 miles per gallon to 26, Hahn said. Accusing federal officials of caving in to pressure from Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. in cutting back mileage standards, Hahn said: “This decision is a step backward from where we’ve been going. We’ve been doing all we can to conserve energy, and this decision makes it look like we’re not serious about anything.”