Although Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) wanted to see energy legislation enacted before the Thanksgiving break, she is now saying raised economy standards for fuel would make a nice "Christmas present" for the American public.

Democratic leaders in Congress will continue to prioritize a bill including raised fuel standard this year although Pelosi did not discuss what issues are preventing a final form of that legislation to the voting floor.

In a Capitol news conference on November 15 Pelosi pointed to the rising cost of gasoline as well as to global warming as the main benefits to be derived from an increase in fuel standards.

At the current stage of the highly debated issue, the Senate has approved a bill that would implement a standard of 35 miles per gallon for cars and trucks by 2020, an increase of 40 percent over the average performance of vehicles today.

The energy bill passed by the House of Representatives, however, contained no provision for fuel economy whatsoever.

Automakers support a much milder version of the Senate version of the legislation and congressional leaders are working to hammer out their differences quietly rather than through the traditional venue of House-Senate conference committees.

In the wake of the news conference it was announced that a California federal appeals court overturned fuel economy standards for light trucks for the 2008-2011 models saying they do not adequately address the threat the vehicles pose to global warming.