July 15, 1975
Page 22879
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, I support the pending legislation to require auto manufacturers to improve motor vehicle fuel economy. I know of no alternative to a legislative mandate to the auto manufacturers. As chairman of the Subcommittee on Environmental Pollution, I have watched the auto industry delay, ignore, and defeat efforts to improve auto exhaust emissions. Only a statutory mandate has kept that industry on a course toward developing the clean car and even that mandate has been only partially successful.
Voluntary agreements with auto manufacturers have proved to be a poor substitute for a mandated public policy articulated in legislation and backed up by administrative and judicial processes.
Mr. President, much talk has occurred about the relationship between auto exhaust emissions and fuel economy. The auto industry would have us believe that dirty cars are efficient cars and that clean cars get poor fuel economy. And, there is a body of evidence that shows that the choices of technology to power cars and clean exhausts have had an adverse impact on efficiency.
But it is false to say that fuel economy and clean air are incompatible. Given the proper choices of technology, the proper sizing of cars, the proper sizing of engines, the proper selection of options and advanced technological applications to component parts, this country can have a very clean and highly efficient personal transportation vehicle. The question is not whether the fuel economy and emissions are compatible technologically or economically, but whether or not our auto manufacturers will agree to make needed adjustments in the way they do business to provide the American consumer with that kind of car.
Mr. President, it may be that the past failures of our industry, combined with current energy shortages and competitive pressures from abroad, will make difficult, if not impossible, these adjustments on a time schedule which is acceptable to the American people.
The Subcommittee on Environmental Pollution has examined this question with some care. On the basis of the very best evidence that is available from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, the Federal Energy Administration, and the National Academy of Sciences, I am satisfied that major fuel economy cars can be made while maintaining most, if not all, of our auto emission objectives.
The most important thing that we in the Congress must do is establish, at the earliest possible date, the requirements and timetables for both fuel economy and emissions so that the industry can gear its efforts to meet those societal demands.
Cognizant of this objective, the Subcommittee on Environmental Pollution has scheduled an exhaustive series of clean air markup sessions to resolve clean air issues and to provide the certainty that is needed for those who relate environmental requirements to energy and economic needs.
Mr. President, we met today at 8 a.m. We will meet tomorrow and Thursday at 8 a.m. And, we will meet Wednesday in the evening after the Senate session. We will continue to meet morning and night until the subcommittee at least has completed a bill. We will hope to have a bill reported to the Senate before the August recess so that all committees working on related issues can make their decisions accordingly.
Mr. President, this is a difficult schedule but these are difficult times: We on the Subcommittee on Environmental Pollution are committed to it. We hope that our colleagues in the Senate will support us in our actions.