Micheline Maynard of The New York Times reports on Senator Barack Obama's comments regarding the U.S. auto industry.
"For years, while foreign competitors were investing in more fuel-efficient technology for their vehicles, American automakers were spending their time investing in bigger, faster cars,” he said, according to a text of his remarks. “And whenever an attempt was made to raise our fuel efficiency standards, the auto companies would lobby furiously against it, spending millions to prevent the very reform that could’ve saved their industry."Along with Senator Tom Harkin, Barack Obama introduced legislation regarding a National Low-Carbon Fuel Standard.
The bill requires a reduction of about 180 million metric tons in emissions in 2020 – the equivalent of taking over 30 million cars off the road. The Obama-Harkin fuel standard embraces the growth of the renewable fuels market, including corn-based ethanol, cellulosic ethanol, and biodiesel as a key component of fighting climate change, while incentivizing lower carbon emissions in their production
