Easing the pain at the pump

no easy task

Fuel economy. That's what the Bush administration is focused on to help you feel &#8221less pain at the pump.“

But will the proposal the administration put forward in late August, which focuses on putting a few more miles per gallon to the fuel economy of pickup trucks, minivans and sport-utility vehicles, help ease the pain?

The proposal aims to save 10 billion gallons of gas over the lives of vehicles built between 2008 and 2011. The United States currently uses 140 billion gallons a year.

More than 100 million pickups, minivans and SUVs - what the federal government classifies as &#8221light trucks“ - are cruising America's roadways. Together, they represent more than half of all new vehicles sold each year, according to the Houston Chronicle.

This proposal doesn't, however, address vehicles such as the Hummer, Expedition and Suburbans, which are all well-known gas-guzzlers. And it doesn't tackle vehicles such as the every-day car.

And it doesn't truly address alternatives to America's addiction to gasoline.

Yes, gas prices are up. It shouldn't be a surprise when the world's top suppliers are in an area of conflict. It also shouldn't be a surprise when demand continues to get higher.

But Americans keep driving and continue to be comfortable. We're also guilty in one way or the other. Our society is built with the automobile in mind.

And while prices rise, Americans continue to drive, though they feel the impact in their wallets.

So, this gets us back to the Bush administration's proposal. While it is trying to take out some gas use, it doesn't go far enough. The administration should be pushing fuel standards for cars and larger vehicles, too. And it shouldn't just be for American cars. Standards also should be changed for foreign cars.

By not targeting larger vehicles, automakers could put their marketing pitches to those vehicles, which are attractive to the everyday American because they offer comfort and are seen as a status symbol.

The administration also could press for alternative fuel sources to be implemented more quickly.

In his 2003 State of the Union address, Bush called for the $1.2-billion Hydrogen Fuel Initiative, which seeks to &#8221develop hydrogen, fuel-cell and infrastructure technologies needed to make it practical and cost-effective for large numbers of Americans to choose to use fuel-cell vehicles by 2020.“

The alternative fuel sources could help ease America's dependence on foreign oil, which was the president's goal for the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative.

As we've said before, we believe that if American industry is given a challenge it has to meet, it will meet it. The deadline for the president's initiative is 15 years away. America achieved the trip to the moon in a shorter period of time.

We need to drastically cut our use of foreign oil. And with greater fuel efficiency in all vehicles and a faster path of alternative-fueled vehicles, we'll make that occur.

This editorial originally appeared in the Sierra Vista Herald.