Cleaner Auto Emissions: No Sunday Drive
- 00:02:42
- YouTube
Cleaner Auto Emissions: No Sunday Drive
President Obamas first major environmental policy announcement pushes U.S. automakers to set higher auto efficiency standards. Hello, Im Charlotte Bellis and youre watching Newsy.com. This new environmental policy could make things even more difficult for an already flailing auto industry. Were following coverage from MSNBC, FOX News, The Detroit News and The New York Times MSNBC talks to Todd Harris, a Republican Strategist, who criticizes the governments efforts to regulate U.S. automakers "I think that this is a typical government where they're giving the auto industry a handout with one hand and with the other hand making life more difficult for them with these sweeping new regulations." (MSNBC) FOX News highlights the auto industrys concerns about the proposed new, tougher standards. "The automakers are concerned about this because it is only going to make it more difficult to manufacture and market vehicles with two different standards because with California and 13 other states following suite about half of the cars and truck sold in this country would be on one standard and the about other half on another standard. And so struggle automakers say that is more trouble than they need at this point." (FOX News) The Detroit News takes a hard editorial look at the new policy saying automakers submerged in red ink won't be able to pony up the estimated tens of billions of dollars the latest government mandates will require in research and development costs. (The Detroit News) The New York Times looks at what the regulations mean for different states. According to the policy, states can set their own auto emission standards. California and 13 other states want those standards to be tougher. The Climate Policy Director for the Natural Resources Defense Council says "I think this is the pathway to [the automakers] survival If carmakers are going to survive in a world of volatile oil prices and global warming, they have to be making more efficient vehicles." (The New York Times) The New York Times science reporter Andrew Revkin looks at whether this will help Obama earn the reputation of being a green president. "You could say he could be in the pantheon of presidents who did things like create the EPA, which Nixon did or push ahead on the big parks program like Roosevelt did. The potential is there (for him to be called a Green president)." (The New York Times) So what do you think about Obamas new environmental policy? Do you think this will cripple the auto industry, or is it a necessary measure to push the auto industry toward a viable and efficient future?
YouTube | January 28, 2009
