U.S. President Bush called on Congress to give him the authority to set the fuel-efficiency standards for passenger cars sold in the United States as a means of reducing the nation’s demand for gasoline, reports CNN. “I encourage them to give me that authority,” Bush told reporters during a visit to a service station in Biloxi, Mississippi. “It’s an authority I used for light trucks, and I intend to use it wisely if Congress will give me that authority. Meanwhile, Chevron, the No. 2 U.S. oil company, this morning posted a first-quarter profit of $4 billion — a 49% increase. Revenue totaled $54.6 billion, a 31% increase from $41.6 billion last year. Yesterday, we reported that Exxon had reported a record quarterly profit of $8 billion. Recently, Mr. Bush announced a probe into gas price gouging.
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04/28, 10:13 AM
posted by:
TW
Why should Bush have the authority. Congress could do it on its own.
04/28, 11:24 AM
posted by:
Asher
I should be obvious that congress is doing nothing about setting standards. Probably because most of the people in congress would have to change which kind of cars they drive.
I like how this report calls him Mr. Bush and not president.
04/28, 1:48 PM
posted by:
BAMF
Because Bush is THE DECIDER lol
04/28, 3:06 PM
posted by:
BCM
It’s so funny to see all the politicians scrambling to find a position. What happened to the Republican virtue of personal responsibility? If people replaced their efficient cars from the ’80s with gas-sucking trucks and high-performance cars in the ’90s, it’s their own damn fault. If families with one or two children believe they need both an extended-length minivan and a large sport utility vehicle, both of which are used 80% of the time for commuting with one occupant, it’s their own damn fault. If the price of beef rises, you eat tuna fish. If the price of gas rises, you drive less, or drop the digital cable package, or the gym membership, or buy fewer new clothes, or make some other sacrifices.
If setting fuel economy standards was evil when gas was cheaper, why is it OK now? This is just another case of everyone wanting to be seen as doing something, when the truth is there is very little that can be done, in the short term.
04/28, 7:47 PM
posted by:
Madcapp
I’m a decider, not a uniter.
04/30, 8:25 AM
posted by:
'ju:femaiz
Setting the required efficiency standards through legislation is not the best solution. The past two decades has shown us more than ever that people vote with their wallets when forced to. The better solution (imho) would be to do the following:
* Introduce taxation system based on a revenue neutral tax policy with (additional or existing) taxes, whereby vehicles are taxed on a sliding scale based on fuel efficiency, whereby there is a financial reward for the most efficient vehicles taken from taxing the least efficient vehicles. By not legislating minimum standards, but letting the market determine it (through carrot + stick policy at the user purchasing end) you move buyers to increasingly efficient vehicles.
* Introduce taxation benefits (income etc) for public transport use and penalise private transport use by denying such benefits
* Utilise transport taxation revenue to implement nationwide public transport infrastructure initiatives.