Under pressure from auto manufacturers, the National Academy of Sciences will hold a rare hearing Oct. 5 that could revise recommendations issued just this summer on improving fuel-economy requirements for new cars and light trucks, according to a Detroit News story by Jeff Plungis. The report will guide the Bush administration and Congress as federal regulators revisit fuel-economy requirements for the first time in six years. The hearing comes a day after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released an analysis of 2001 model year vehicles that concluded fuel economy was lower than at any point since 1980. The overall average fuel economy for vehicles dropped to 20.4 mpg in 2001, which the agency attributed to increased sales of pickup trucks, minivans and sport utility vehicles. Average fuel economy of new passenger vehicles is at a 20-year low, largely because of the widespread popularity of sport-utility vehicles, the government said in the report released Oct. 4. "Fuel economy is being traded for weight and power," concludes the analysis produced by the EPA. The report is expected to fuel the debate over whether the government should require automakers to make their products less fuel hungry, especially larger SUVs that are subject to less-stringent regulations than passenger cars. In its latest fuel economy trends report, the EPA said the average fuel use of new passenger vehicles -- sedans and light trucks, including SUVs and vans -- has declined 1.9 miles per gallon since 1988 and is at the lowest level since 1980. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will be free to begin revising Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards as of Oct. 15, although that date could be pushed back by budget negotiations between the White House and Congress. The National Academy of Sciences hearing is unusual for the normally careful and deliberative institution, which subjects its studies to intense peer review before publication. Environmental groups maintain the academy was preparing to rewrite a report based on objections from automakers, raising questions about the academy's objectivity.