Opposing view: Driver's beloved SUVs, minivans face price
hikes because of this law.
A new law that would give
the unelected bureaucrats in California the power to design the cars you drive
may sound like a cliched Hollywood script. But now the governor has signed
legislation to do just that.
The
California law would give the state Air Resources Board unprecedented authority
to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) from motor vehicles. Since the only way to
produce less CO2 is to combust less fuel, this measure is really a
back-door attempt to subvert federal fuel-economy
standards.
Some contend that
controlling CO2 emissions is of vital importance to the planet. If so, it must
be controlled at the federal level or, better yet, the global level. California
going it alone won't solve any problems, though it will force Californians to
pay dearly for their state's political symbolism.
Under this legislation, Californians will likely face hikes in the
costs of owning and driving vehicles -- particularly minivans, pickups and SUVs
-- even though the new law would provide no benefit to California or any other
state. Because California's motor vehicles account for a tiny fraction of global
CO2, this legislation will be all pocketbook pain and no environmental gain.
Automakers offer more than 50 vehicles that
get better than 30 miles per gallon, yet those account for a fraction of sales.
Indeed, the 10 cars with the highest mpg represent less than 2% of vehicle
sales.
Nearly 50% of California new
vehicle sales are SUVs, vans, minivans and pickup trucks because consumers want
more cargo space, passenger room, safety features, hauling capacity, and towing
and off-road capabilities.
And don't think
that you shouldn't be concerned because you live elsewhere. Proponents of this
legislation want other states to adopt it. They want bureaucrats in other states
to decide what kind of vehicle you can drive. That's un-American.
There is a better way. Automakers are
investing billions of dollars to bring fuel cell and hybrid electric vehicles to
the marketplace. Let's give Americans tax incentives to buy them, rather than
try to force them out of the cars they love.
Josephine Cooper is president and CEO of the Alliance of Automobile
Manufacturers.
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