City
Washington, D.C.
Today, Phyllis Cuttino, Director of the U.S. Global Warming Campaign for the Pew Environment Group, issued the following statement on the Bush Administration releasing funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program to bailout domestic automakers.
"Today's bailout may only be a down payment for Chrysler and General Motors. If domestic automakers seek additional funds next year, Congress or the Obama administration must condition those funds on achieving higher fuel efficiency and lowering global warming emissions.
"Automakers must get moving faster toward the 2007 energy bill standard of 35 mpg. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates that automakers can achieve 35 mpg by 2015 - five years earlier than is currently required - with existing technologies.
"Detroit must drop its continuing legal challenges to the California vehicle emissions standard that would reduce global warming pollution. This standard, adopted in 14 states and the District of Columbia, would reduce greenhouse gas emissions from new cars and light trucks by 30 percent, resulting in a new generation of cleaner, more energy-efficient vehicles.
"We believe that if Detroit begins to build highly fuel efficient cars and reduce global warming pollution, the Big Three will have a good opportunity to both regain market share and protect American jobs. This will save consumers money at the pump, curtail our dependence on oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions."
