< />
Roughly six months ago, gas prices were at record highs. People were furious across the nation. Suddenly, it seemed like a good idea for cars to get better gas mileage. The nation’s auto industry was not making the cars that Americans now want to drive.
Gas prices have gone down for the time being, and some of the furor has died away. We should not be complacent; gas prices will not stay low forever. When gas prices go up, we should be ready with more efficient cars.
Right now the U.S. auto industry is in a mess. The big three auto manufacturers have received billions of dollars in federal aid. They need to rethink their method of business and the cars they are making. We need to make sure that they make the right decision. The Cleaner Car standards would require auto manufacturers to reduce the global warming emissions emitted by their fleet by 30 percent by 2016. The legislation will not take effect until 2012 and will only affect new vehicles. Making the vehicles cleaner will save Minnesotans $260 million dollars by 2025 at the gas pump.
The technology to build these cleaner, more efficient cars already exists; it just needs to be implemented. Passing this legislation will require auto dealers in Minnesota to sell cleaner, more efficient cars. It will create a better car for Minnesotans and a better car for Americans across the country. The next time gas prices spike, it won’t hurt quite so bad. Thank you to Representative Bly for supporting this bill and I want to encourage Senator Dahle to also support this piece of legislation and be a leader in the Senate.
– Lief Esbenshade is a first-year student