Some are happy, some are sad with the decision yesterday by Judge Sessions in Vermont on the possibility of state fuel economy rules that would, in effect, supplant federal legislation.

On the one hand, we have the Pew Campaign for Fuel Efficiency, on the other we have the Auto Alliance. Pew Campaign director Phyllis Cuttino said in a statement that:

Today's ruling shows that the only ones who don't believe in the U.S. auto industry are the U.S. auto industry.

Today's ruling by the U.S. District Court is more proof that auto industry arguments opposing meaningful fuel efficiency increases are no longer credible. U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions' ruling bluntly articulates what Americans overwhelmingly believe, what the National Academy of Sciences has found and what foreign automobile manufacturers have demonstrated: greater fuel efficiency is achievable without sacrificing vehicle size or power.

Auto industry lawyers are trying to convince judges that fuel efficiency is unattainable and auto industry lobbyists are waging a campaign in Washington, DC to weaken and delay or defeat a U.S. Senate bipartisan compromise to require automakers to achieve an average of 35 miles per gallon by 2020. This measure would not only make America more secure by saving 1.2 million barrels of oil a day, but also save American families $25 billion per year at the gas pump. It would also help Detroit to better compete with foreign automakers.

Got that, car companies? Maybe not. The president of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, Dave McCurdy, released a statement on the decision, which basically says that the fuel economy should be set by the feds and an appeal of Sessions ruling is possible. Read the full statement after the jump.

[Source: Pew Campaign for Fuel Efficiency]

The Pew Campaign for Fuel Efficiency (PCFE), a "public education campaign," has released details of a bipartisan poll which was conducted by The Mellman Group (D) and Public Opinion Strategies (R). The results of the poll are not surprising when one considers how Americans feel about the high price of gasoline. Nearly 90 percent of all who responded to the survey say that they prefer the toughest new fuel economy regulations which are being considered in Washington. If you read our site regularly, you know that a bill has already been passed in the Senate which would mandate 35 miles per gallon by 2020 for all vehicles, while competing bills are being considered in the House. There are three bills which have varying numbers of co-sponsors and are not likely to be voted on until after August.

Michigan's John Dingell (D) is one of the more vocal proponents to the bill with the lowest fuel mileage requirements, and Michigan's 15th congressional district also posted the least support for the bill with the highest fuel mileage standards. But still, even in that district, 84 percent of respondents favor those toughest standards. The PCFE website breaks down the entire survey, and you can find it here. If the public can agree that they want higher fuel mileage standards, the next step would be to agree on how to achieve them, which is the a much tougher issue, and one that the automakers will likely grapple with. Whatever solution proves the winner, consumers will surely be the beneficiaries.

[Source: Pew Campaign for Fuel Efficiency]