Auto dealers lobby against higher MPG requirement

Auto dealers from different regions throughout the United States recently gathered in Washington, D.C., hoping to lobby federal officials against the implementation of a miles-per-gallon standard for new cars. Forbes reports that approximately 500 car dealers came to the nation's capital to try and overturn the 54.5 mpg Corporate Fuel Economy standards that are set to take effect to make automobiles more efficient. The main group behind the resistance movement is the National Automobile Dealers Association, which has spent considerable dollars on trying to get the regulations reversed. "In the first quarter of 2011, the association spent $605,000 on lobbying the federal government on fuel economy standards (and other issues), the Associated Press reports. In April, the U.S. Court of Appeals finally rejected NADA’s lawsuit (brought with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce) to try and overturn California’s right to set separate fuel economy standards," a recent article in Forbes stated. In related news, the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a piece of legislation that cuts the government's funding to the automotive industry. Those in favor of the bill said that the sector needed to be cut back due to the spending constraints.