Realistic Standards
Aug 2nd, 2007 at 11:34 am by Maya
This is just asinine. We don’t need twelve years to increase the minimum fuel efficiency to 35 mpg, but the auto industry just had to push for three more years and three less mpg. Way to line those pockets, Blue Dogs!
Markey said he believed he had a majority of House members with him on his legislation. The bill sponsored by Hill had at least 143 co-sponsors and on Wednesday the centrist-to-conservative “Blue Dog Democrats” said at least two-thirds of its 47-member group preferred Hill’s bill over Markey’s.
Automakers had lobbied heavily against the Markey legislation, as they had unsuccessfully in the Senate last month.
Gloria Bergquist, a spokeswoman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, said the trade group would continue to push for “realistic fuel economy standards” that would preserve jobs and vehicle choice.
Update: Great commentary over at Kos.
Honda Civics and such cars, Toyotas, etc., have been getting that kind of mileage for literally decades. If Americkan auto makers had taken a page from the competent auto makers over the years, they wouldn’t be behind the 8-ball like they are. Apparently, it takes an act of congress for the big three to do the right thing. Just like No Child’s Left Behind for Lunch, this legislation will just enable the evildoers.
It’s mind-boggling how stupid our legislators can be.
The fact is, after investments at the front end, jacking up the fuel efficiency of our cars is a money maker, since they’ll qualify to be sold in markets like Asia and Japan where the standards are much higher than ours.
It’s really cutting off the nose to spite the face.
Detroit should have listened to me in 1967, when
I bought a little Datsun after owning big 8 to 9 mpg
Mercurys and Chevys.
Since then, counting that Datsun, I/we have owned
ten Japanese, German, Swedish, and French cars,
but only two short-lived US ones (Tauruses).
Our Camry (bought used) is still going strong after
ten years.
AAM, if you want to preserve US jobs, start making
better cars. If you want to enhance vehicle choice,
start offering real alternatives.
Increased fuel economy will come quickly when oil prices pass $100 per barrel; but then it will be race to see if our market economy can survive. The idea of $200 per barrel was mentioned by Gwynne Dyer in his column 8/1/07, think Cheney going after Iran for that figure.
Just today, Toyota announced record profits,
and is the world’s #1 automaker so far this year.
Congress is trying to save the cretinous US
automakers from themselves, but they’ll have none of it.
Are they secretly owned by the oil companies?