Proposed legislation would force Americans into smaller cars
Ask a European to describe a typical American car in one word and the answer will invariably be “big”. An energy bill set to pass through the House of Representatives this week is likely to number the days of the vast automobiles that are such a potent symbol of American power. On Friday November 30th a deal was brokered by John Dingell, a pro-car Democrat, and Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the house, to make cars travel on average no fewer than 35 miles per (American) gallon by 2020. As a measure of the task ahead, no car in Ford’s range is yet so thirstless.
America’s embattled carmakers have reluctantly agreed to the new efficiency standards. Their only hope of a reprieve, if the legislation makes it through Congress, is a presidential veto. George Bush objects to other parts of an energy bill that requires energy companies to produce 15% of electricity from renewable sources and ditches billions of dollars of tax breaks for oil companies. Nonetheless, in acquiescing to the proposals American car companies have accepted the inevitable:lawmakers want cars that are more fuel efficient to mitigate environmental damage and improve America’s energy security.
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