Gas-guzzler fine called insufficient
From Times Wire Services
Federal fines levied against automakers for failing to meet vehicle mileage requirements may be too weak to encourage production of more fuel efficient cars and trucks, Congress’ investigative arm said.
Automakers paid $678 million in penalties in the model years 1983 through 2005, but the fine has not increased in a decade and may not be a strong deterrent for making less fuel efficient vehicles, according to the Government Accountability Office.
“Several experts stated that this is not enough of a monetary incentive for manufacturers to comply with [fuel economy rules],” the GAO said, adding that the automakers that generally pay the penalties are foreign companies that produce luxury or specialty high-performance vehicles.
