Energy
Commentary
PG&E’s success in Washington led to failure in San Bruno
Cry Wolf Quotes
We have consistently opposed mandatory fuel economy standards as unnecessary. Because it is clearly in our self interest to meet customer requirements on fuel economy improvements, as demonstrated by our own high mileage m.p.g. small cars recently announced.
Listen, these are the same people who will be standing in unemployment lines if the Clinton-Gore proposals are put into effect.
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.
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…
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.
