The change would be good for clean air, too, he said.

"If a vehicle consumes less gasoline, then it emits less particulates and smog-forming compounds," he said.

The fuel economy act did not win the committee's approval without dissent.

Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, the committee's vice chairman, said he has concerns about "the bill's treatment of light trucks," which are important to Alaskans. But the lack of equability concerning light trucks could be worked out on the floor of the Senate, he said.

"I think that there are many problems with this legislation," said Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss. "I'm very concerned about the overall fairness of what has been developed here. I do think we should encourage, you know, greater fuel efficiency as well as safety."

But, Lott added, the rules should be fair to all auto manufacturers. If the federal government dictates a particular percentage increase in fuel efficiency per year without considering what has already been achieved, that could create problems, he said.

"We've got a long way to go in this area, and I hope we can make it a fairer bill," Lott added, according to his recorded statement on a Senate Internet site.

The committee's chairman, Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawaii, said he has conferred with Senate leadership and believes the bill will be taken up in June. The intent of its managers was to pass the bill in the committee so that the nation and the Senate would have about a month to work out any amendments they think are necessary.

"This is not a perfect bill," Inouye said, "but I think we have reached the stage where most parties can say that this is fair."

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E-mail: bau@desnews.com