Energy
Commentary
PG&E’s success in Washington led to failure in San Bruno
Cry Wolf Quotes
The whole CAFE scheme is, in terms of public policy, ridiculous, and has the practical effects of driving U.S. jobs abroad.
Ill-considered arbitrary fuel economy legislation could delay progress in conserving gasoline, extend unemployment, and restrict economic progress. It also could deny the choice of vehicles desired and needed by a large number of Americans.
If we sell too many big cars in any quarter in 1978, we’ll have to hold back our product mix and we’ll have to ration or allocate cars. The law is final now, but if enough people complain when they can’t get a big car, maybe the government will revise its legislation. To meet 27.5 m.p.g. by ’85, the average weight of cars will have to be about 3,200 pounds versus 4,000 pounds now. That means every car would be a compact, subcompact, or smaller. The new law implies that we must get better fuel economy between 1980 and 1985 then between 1978 and 1980. That’s unlikely.
We have stated that the full-size car market can’t be ignored because it is accounting for 30 percent of domestic auto sales for the model year. Chrysler does not intend to, and would not, abandon a market segment of that size and importance to automotive buyers.
Related Laws and Rules
Evidence
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CAFE Standards Not an Undue Burden on Domestic Manufacturers
CAFE standards clearly contributed to increased fuel economy and didn't unduly burden the domestic manufacturers.
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Experts Claim the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) Saves Lives and Money
Safety experts make the case for the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Backgrounders & Briefs
The Success of CAFE Standards
How the CAFE standard and its successes.
Resources
Political Economy Research Institute is a think tank focused on a variety of subjects such as diverse financial regulation, living wages and environmental protection.
Consumer Federation of America defends the consumer interest in fields ranging from housing and financial services to food safety.
