Debate over federal mileage standards is heating up as the presidential race gains momentum. With consumers concerned about how much it costs to fill up at the pump, the problem promises to remain a divisive one.
At issue is a proposal by Senator John Kerry to raise the minimum average gas mileage standard for new cars and trucks, and the Bush campaign's interpretation of how Kerry's proposal might affect the economy.
Kerry -- who first introduced his proposal with Republican Senator John McCain two years ago -- says the higher mileage standard would increase fuel efficiency, reduce air pollution and ease American dependence on foreign oil supplies. It would also lower the amount Americans must spend to fill their tanks, since vehicles would be getting more miles to the gallon.
But the Bush campaign alleges that the proposal would force auto manufacturers to make fewer light trucks and thereby eliminate more than 100,000 jobs. Those jobs would come from the state of Michigan, announced Marc Racicot, President Bush's national campaign chairman, during an April campaign event in Michigan. Michigan is considered a swing state critical to both campaigns.
In making its assertion, the Bush campaign first cited a Pennsylvania economist's informal analysis of fuel mileage standards that predicted a loss of 105,000 jobs under the Kerry-McCain plan. But when asked to confirm those figures, the economist, Andrew Kleit, would not comment, and did not include the numbers in a final, published version of the paper. Later, Racicot upped the figure to 143,000 jobs, but could not cite any studies to back this number up. [1]
Contrary to the assertion that improving vehicle mileage would cost jobs, a study by the Union of Concerned Scientists found that had the U.S. adopted a 40-miles-per-gallon fleet standard in 2002 (the current standard is 27.5-mpg), it would have created more than 40,000 new jobs in the auto industry by 2010. Added to the jobs benefit, UCS found that the 40-mpg standard would conserve 2 million barrels of oil daily, or 62% of projected Persian Gulf imports (President Bush recently stated that American reliance on imported oil is a serious national security issue). [2]
Meanwhile the United Auto Workers, the group that would be most affected if job losses were to occur, is backing Kerry with a formal endorsement. Paul Krell, the UAW public relations director, told a reporter, "We certainly wouldn't endorse someone who would put the auto industry out of business." He also noted that Kerry's proposal to increase mileage standards to 36 miles-per-gallon by 2015 was a goal, not a requirement. [3]
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SOURCES:
[1] "Bush Campaign Chair Fabricated Job Loss Number," Great Lakes Bulletin News Service, Jun. 17, 2004.
[2] "Drilling in Detroit," Union of Concerned Scientists, Jun. 2001.
[3] Great Lakes Bulletin News Service, op. cit.
