Slater: Fuel economy key

By Pamela Glason Thornton
Staff Writer
Union County Post

Is your vehicle’s gas mileage an issue? The ways used to get around often make fuel economy an issue for city dwellers, their families and for businesses in surrounding areas.
Rodney Slater, Driving America’s Future Chairman, feels strongly about the benefits of reducing the consumption of gasoline by vehicles.
Slater hosted a press conference at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus on August 30 to stress how the issue of fuel economy affects members of the population. He conducted an interview with the newspaper following the August 30 press conference.
H.R. 2927, introduced by Rep. Baron Hill (D-Ind.) and Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.) addresses increased fuel efficiency and alternative fuel research, targets a standard of 32-35 mpg fuel efficiency by 2022 and supports research for alternative fuel technologies.
A major segment of the resolution, Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) standards are established as fuel economy minimums that must be met by automakers. Proposed legislation has mile-per-gallon minimums and the changes are bound to affect the auto industry.
“ House Resolution 2927 implements a realistic increase in CAFÉ standards so that we decrease America’s dependence on foreign oil,” said Sen. Fedor. A resolution filed by Ohio Senate Democratic Leader Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo) urges the adoption of H.R. 2927, designated as the Hill-Terry Resolution.
H.R. 6 and H.R. 1506 are additional legislative items that address fuel economy. H.R. 2927 includes consideration of the environment and green initiatives.
“ When the House of Representatives acts on energy legislation in coming weeks, members will have a clear choice between the Senate’s overly aggressive fuel economy legislation which will cripple the auto industry that serves as a job creating engine or a more reasonable approach. The bipartisan bill introduced by Representatives Baron Hill and Lee Terry is a common sense solution based on aggressive, yet achievable CAFE increases partnered with alternative energy development that has nearly 100 cosponsors,” stated Slater in a July statement.
“ With this issue, you’ve got the domestic automakers and the foreign automakers on the same side as supporters of the bill,” added Slater. Over the years, foreign automakers have captured an increasing share of U.S. car sales by emphasizing fuel efficiency and are investigating fuel advancements as ways to impact the market even further.
Automobile manufacturer, Honda of America Manufacturing, Inc., headquartered in Marysville, Ohio, is directly impacted and concerned about fuel economy and regularly invests in fuel research.
“ The entire issue is about community. Foreign and domestic automakers represent communities that are thriving because of hard-working individuals who are employed at factory, farm and industrial jobs,” said Slater who cited being made aware of and connected to the industrial revolution era as a young male who witnessed cross-country transportation and its expansion.
“ (Today,) we must use energy more efficiently with an acute regard for the economics of the automobile industry,” said Sen. Fedor. Increasing standards too high within the auto industry may affect jobs and bring economic harm to the industry.
“ H.R. 2927 responsibly addresses the issue, supporting increased standards while recognizing more strict standards may impose economic harm to the automobile industry. This resolution has received bipartisan support in Congress, garnering 101 Republican co-sponsors and 61 Democratic co-sponsors,” said Fedor.
Nationwide, individual states and a variety of consumer-oriented organizations have responded favorably to the resolution.
According to Robert K. Johnson, president of Consumers for Competitive Choice, a national alliance of public interest groups that brings competitive energy and finance information to consumers, “All shades of green fuel efficiency, technical innovation and consumer income can be accommodated in legislation that promotes a progressive, balanced drive to reasonable fuel standards.”
Currently a partner with Patton Boggs, LLP in Washington, D.C., Slater served as Secretary of Transportation under President Bill Clinton and was formerly Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration.
A son of the South and an Arkansas native, Slater recognizes value in keeping the environment at the forefront of infrastructure development.
“ Nationwide, we are just now starting to talk about the significance of green-collar jobs. It could be loosely defined to mean any job that is sensitive to the environment – a farmer who is raising corn to be used for ethanol, an architect or an engineer who is putting up a building with certain materials,” said Slater.
Investing in alternative fuels have been recognized as being beneficial for the environment and members of the population. Research looks toward the future. Provisions for research into alternative fuel methods are also included in H.R. 2927. “It calls for cleaner fuels, greater fuel economy and less toxic fuels that have less impact on the environment. We visited plants in various states that build transmissions for hybrid engines, plug-ins, electric engines ... the gasoline combustible engine that has the electric motor working in combination gives an interesting power result. With hydrogen, the by-product is water. The research is really exciting,” concluded Slater.
The CAFÉ standards’ legislation will be up for consideration by the U.S. Congress in late September when Congress returns from a four-week summer vacation.