Auto Emissions
As long as automobiles have existed, they have spewed dangerous toxins into the air. The content and volume of these emissions have changed over the years. When leaded gasoline was the norm, the blood lead levels of the American population were significantly higher than they are today. Before catalytic converters, smog was an even worse problem, especially in car-heavy cities like Los Angeles. Currently, America's cars contribute to a staggering one-fifth of our nation’s carbon emissions and almost half of global automotive carbon emissions.
Cry Wolf Quotes
In effect, this bill would outlaw a number of engine lines and car models including most fullsize sedans and station wagons. It would restrict the industry to producing subcompact-size cars — or even smaller ones — within 5 years . . .
Absent a significant technological breakthrough. . . the largest car the industry will be selling in any volume at all will probably be smaller, lighter, and less powerful than today’s compact Chevy Nova…
Our feeling was and still is that there is no scientific reason for not relaxing regulations. [Easing lead rules would] save billions of dollars in the balance of payments and also of million of barrels of crude oil a year.
There is no evidence that [leaded gasoline] has introduced a danger in the field of public health…lead is an inevitable element in the surface of the earth, in its vegetation, in its animal life, and that there is no way in which man has ever been able to escape the absorption of lead while living in this planet.
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).
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Costs and Benefits of Reducing Lead in Gasoline
The benefits of removing lead from gasoline dramatically exceeded costs.
Backgrounders & Briefs
The Success of CAFE Standards
How the CAFE standard and its successes.
The Secret History of Lead
This immense article is an intricately detailed history of leaded gasoline, from the industry's early cover-ups to their attempts to defeat EPA regulations.
The Removal of Lead From Gasoline: Historical and Personal Reflections
First-person historical analysis of the leaded gasoline fight.
