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TIME: Almanac 1990
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1990 Time Magazine Compact Almanac, The (1991)(Time).iso
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time
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052989
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05298900.010
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1990-09-22
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BUSINESS, Page 75Business NotesAUTOMOBILESMuzzling the Gas Guzzler
Those big cars -- and their thirsty engines -- that Americans
have once again come to love blew a tire last week, when the Bush
Administration approved tougher fuel-efficiency standards for all
automobiles sold in the U.S. As of 1990, all cars produced by each
auto company must average 27.5 m.p.g. of gas or the manufacturer
will face stiff penalties. The Reagan Administration had relaxed
the standard -- first established in the oil-shocked '70s -- to
26.5 m.p.g. for model-year 1989. But Transportation Secretary
Samuel Skinner cited "economic security" in resisting Detroit's
plea to maintain 26.5 m.p.g. for a longer period. "We are now
importing a higher percentage of petroleum than we were in 1975,"
said Skinner. "We may very shortly be dependent on foreign sources
for more than half of our oil."
General Motors, which expected its fleet to average 27 m.p.g.
next year, criticized the decision, declaring that it will cost
jobs to go that extra half-mile. Chrysler and Ford said they were
prepared to meet the new requirements.