CRITICS QUESTION COST ASSUMPTIONS IN ADMINISTRATION'S CAFE PROPOSAL

Environmentalists and other proponents of fuel conservation are questioning cost assumptions included in the Bush administration's new proposal for improving the fuel efficiency of SUVs and minivans, saying the draft regulation appears to rely on information from a study that is now several years old and therefore likely overstates the cost of more aggressive measures. One environmentalist says the cost issue is likely to be one of a number of issues raised during the public comment period on the proposed...