Free Republic

McCain and Obama came to Michigan this week touting two all-too-similar energy plans. By Henry Payne Detroit — The presidential fuel follies came careening into Michigan this week, advertising two knights battling over America’s energy future. Upon closer inspection, however, the fix appears to be in: Underneath the rhetorical weaponry, both knights are wearing the same green armor. Barack Obama arrived first at Michigan State to give a typically grandiose speech outlining his plan for a “complete transformation of our economy.” The Arrogant One has been trying to make up to Michigan since he presumed a year ago to tell...

From the moment customers enter the front door, the Conservative Cafe is serving up caffeinated doctrine. Ann Coulter books sit stacked by the fireplace, and a picture of Ronald Reagan hangs on the wall. Fox News plays on all the televisions, and stock market quotes scroll along an electronic ticker above the cash register.Behind the counter, owner Dave Beckham smiles proudly in a khaki T-shirt that reads "Zip It, Hippie." The shirt is for sale at the Crown Point, Ind., cafe, along with ones that say "Peace through Superior Firepower.""It's a change from the traditional liberal bastion coffeehouses," Beckham says....

BMW of North America is calling on the Bush administration to create an alternative fuel economy program for companies that would be hardest hit by proposed new standards in the 2011-15 model years. The alternative would allow a company such as BMW to comply by raising the fuel efficiency of its products by 4.5 percent a year over the standards in effect in 2010, the automaker says in comments submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The administration, responding to a new federal law, has proposed sliding scales of targets for cars and trucks of different sizes, measured by...

A city centre was evacuated today after two bombs were found - at least one of which exploded - at a busy lunchtime cafe. A man, who is believed to have set off the explosive device, was injured and has been taken into custody. At least one of the devices was believed to be a nail bomb. The Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall, Stephen Otter, said tonight: "We can now confirm there were two explosive devices found at the scene." He said they were both in the same area of the Giraffe restaurant at the Princesshay shopping centre, in...

Motorheads don’t want to hear it; refuse to believe it — but ugly realities are coming down hard on the ‘09 Camaro that will very possibly cause GM to pull the plug before the first one ever rolls off the line. Doubt that? Consider the stillborn rear-wheel-drive next generation Chevy Impala — nixed because of concerns within GM about the possibility of meeting the pending (2012) 35 mpg fuel economy edict recently passed by Congress. A lighter front-drive car with a V-6 instead of a V-8 can make the cut; a V-8 RWD Impala can’t. So it’s gone. So is...

Is the U.S. Failing in Afghanistan? It was malice in wonderland at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday as Bush Administration envoys insisted things are getting better in Afghanistan, while angry lawmakers from both parties cited facts and figures showing just the opposite. Even the senior Republican on the panel, Senator Richard Lugar, found the Administration's claims wanting. "I'm not sure that we have a plan for Afghanistan," he said. Long seen as the "forgotten war" eclipsed by Iraq in U.S. priorities, Afghanistan is in the Washington spotlight this week with the release of three independent reports concluding...

TWO DEAD IN SUSPECTED SUICIDE BOMBING IN SOUTHERN ISRAELI TOWN OF DIMONA - ZAKA EMERGENCY SERVICE

GM says new fuel requirements to add $6,000 per car Tue Jan 15, 2008 2:22pm EST By Jui Chakravorty Das DETROIT (Reuters) - New fuel efficiency requirements imposed by Congress will add, on average, $6,000 to the price of GM vehicles sold in the United States, the automaker's vice chairman and product chief said on Tuesday. Congress passed a new energy law in December 2007 that requires automakers to increase fuel economy across the industry to 35 miles per gallon by 2020 -- up 40 percent from current levels. "We've done the research and it's going to cost us $4,000...

Regulation: The new energy law contains stiff new fuel-efficiency standards for U.S. automakers. But make no mistake: What you got from Congress was a big tax hike. Just ask General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz. That's right. The CAFE standards embedded in the Energy Independence Act require fuel efficiency to jump to a fleet average 35 miles a gallon in 2020 from about 25 mpg now. That means you will soon be paying more — a lot more — to buy a car. Maybe this sounds reasonable. To many, these new rules are long overdue. They'll help us cut our...

WASHINGTON — A key House Democrat said Monday he plans to question EPA officials about why the agency refused to allow California to require reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks. At least 16 other states, including New Mexico, were prepared to implement the same limits had the government issued the waiver California needed to set the standards, which would have been the first in the nation. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson naming seven high-level managers he wants to...

Less Is More For Ford's New V-6 Engine By ROBERT SCHOENBERGER   The 2009 Lincoln MKS a new fuel-efficient 3.7-liter V-6 engine. (Photo courtesy of Ford)     Derrick Kuzak's vision of the future could scare some gearheads.Big pickups would use four-cylinder engines, luxury sedans would come with V-6s instead of V-8s. The venerable V-8 engine would be found only on big commercial trucks.Ford Motor Co.'s vice president of global product design sees engine downsizing as the clearest way to meet new federal fuel economy standards. The trick will be doing it without slashing power."We know our customers want better...

The other day I took my Toyota Sienna van in for a smog check. While I was waiting, I heard the news that our Congress Critters were about to pass new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) standards. The new fuel efficiency law will require manufacturers to meet a fleet wide average of 35 miles per gallon for cars, SUV’s, and small trucks. A fleet average of 35 mpg is a 40% increase in fuel mileage over the existing requirement. My van gets an average of 20+ mpg and can carry 6 passengers and luggage in comfort. My wife drives a...

WASHINGTON - The energy bill President Bush signed last week mandating tougher fuel-economy standards sent a simple message to automakers: lighten up. ADVERTISEMENT The new rules certainly give makers of aluminum, carbon fiber and other lightweight materials something to smile about, analysts say, though the steel industry's piece of the auto-industry pie is likely to shrink.

The energy bill that President Bush just signed into law is a significant victory for environmentalists, who have long pushed for such measures as expanded ethanol production. But the centerpiece of the bill--for which environmentalists have been agitating for years--is a major increase in automobile fuel economy standards, the first such increase since 1975. The law forces auto manufacturers to increase the average mileage of cars, SUVs, and light trucks to 35 mpg by 2020. Currently, the standard is 27.5 mpg for cars and 22.2 mpg for SUVs and light trucks. It might seem obviously beneficial to decree that cars...

DETROIT — When General Motors Corp. pulls the cover off a new supercharged version of the Corvette at the Detroit auto show next month, it will unveil a performance car designed to rival or better even the fastest, most expensive exotic cars from Europe. But the Corvette's chief engineer says the 2009 Corvette ZR1 may be the last in a long tradition of Detroit performance cars, endangered by stronger federal fuel economy regulations and limits on carbon dioxide emissions.

If you're like me, the bluster and grandstanding associated with big congressional actions make you want to roll up the windows, crank up the radio, and tune out the whole circus. But the mammoth energy bill finally passed by Congress and signed by President Bush is something consumers should pay attention to. Among other things, the new law will directly affect the kinds of cars on the market in a few years--and what buyers pay for them. Some of the big changes that automakers and consumers will both have to contend with: Surprisingly tough gas mileage standards. The requirement to...

WASHINGTON - Congress by a wide margin approved the first increase in automobile fuel economy in 32 years Tuesday, and President Bush plans to quickly sign the legislation, accepting the mandates on the auto industry. The energy bill, boosting mileage by 40 percent to 35 miles per gallon, passed the House 314-100 and now goes to the White House, following the Senate's approved last week. In a statement, the White House said Bush will sign the legislation at the Energy Department on Wednesday. In a dramatic shift to spur increased demand for nonfossil fuels, the bill also requires a six-fold...

WASHINGTON - President Bush signed into law Wednesday legislation that will bring more fuel-efficient vehicles into auto showrooms and require wider use of ethanol, calling it "a major step" toward energy independence and easing global warming. The legislation signed by Bush at a ceremony at the Energy Department requires automakers to increase fuel efficiency by 40 percent to an industry average 35 miles per gallon by 2020. It also ramps up production of ethanol use to 36 billion gallons a year by 2022.

The energy bill to be signed by the president today is arguably the worst piece of energy legislation ever enacted into law. It will substantially increase the price of automobiles, increase highway fatalities, increase fuel prices, worsen air pollution, and force consumers to buy products (like super-efficient light bulbs) that they manifestly -- and for very good reason -- do not want to buy. It will transfer huge amounts of wealth from the consumer to the farm lobby in the course of promoting a dubious product -- ethanol -- that will make energy supplies less reliable and greenhouse gas emission...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate late on Thursday approved a broad energy bill that would increase the fuel efficiency of U.S. cars and trucks for the first time since 1975 and significantly boost production of renewable motor fuels like ethanol.

WASHINGTON (Dec. 1) - An agreement among congressional Democrats - including those from auto industry states - to support a 40 percent increase in vehicle fuel efficiency is likely to be the tonic needed to push energy legislation through Congress before Christmas. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., a longtime protector of the auto industry, settled their differences in an agreement late Friday on the fuel economy, or CAFE, issue, clearing the way for a House vote on a broader energy bill, probably on Wednesday. Automakers would be required to meet an industrywide average of 35 miles...

Dems Reach Deal on Energy Bill By H. JOSEF HEBERT – 14 hours ago WASHINGTON (AP) — An agreement among congressional Democrats — including those from auto industry states — to support a 40 percent increase in vehicle fuel efficiency is likely to be the tonic needed to push energy legislation through Congress before Christmas. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., a longtime protector of the auto industry, settled their differences in an agreement late Friday on the fuel economy, or CAFE, issue, clearing the way for a House vote on a broader energy bill, probably on...

New Mexico is cruising into the legal fight over California's "clean car" program. The state and local air-quality boards voted about midnight Tuesday to enact strict low-emission standards for new cars and trucks. But the sweeping regulations already face a legal challenge from the auto industry and four state lawmakers. Their lawsuit— filed earlier Tuesday, before the regulations had been adopted— says the state Environmental Improvement Board lacks authority to adopt the regulations. If successful, the suit could result in the pollution regulations going before the Legislature next year. "The point is not whether those emission regulations are a good...

Courts: The often-loopy 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is now giving orders to the White House. A three-judge panel ruled Thursday that federal fuel-economy standards for light trucks and SUVs must be tougher.The unanimous decision was made in favor of the 11 states, the cities of New York and Washington, and various environmental groups that sued the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over fuel-mileage standards issued last year. Using the save-the-planet argument, the plaintiffs claimed corporate average fuel economy requirements should be higher. They dislike the federally mandated 1.5-miles-per-gallon increase to 24 miles per gallon for 2008 through 2011...

San Francisco (AP) -- A federal appeals court on Thursday threw out planned federal fuel economy standards for many sport-utility vehicles, minivans and pickup trucks, ruling that the Bush administration failed to address why those so-called "light trucks" are allowed to pollute more than cars. The 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals also ruled that the standards, which were to go into effect next year, didn't properly assess the risk to the environment and failed to include heavier trucks. "The ruling does two potentially very big things," said Brian Nowicki of the Center for Biological Diversity, which led the assault...

Barack Obama wants you to drive a car that gets over 40 miles per gallon, but it's a case of "do as I say and not what I do." Obama was one of the 65 senators who voted in late June to raise federally mandated Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for cars, minivans and SUVs to 35 miles per gallon. In a May speech to the Detroit Economic Club, the senator said his goal is "to help bring [the auto industry] into the 21st century." He proposed requiring automakers to increase their fuel economy standards by 4 percent --...

WASHINGTON, (AP) -- After weeks of uncertainty, House Democrats have decided against a confrontation over automobile fuel economy when they take up energy legislation later this week.

Energy Policy: MoveOn.org targets Michigan Democrat John Dingell for his reluctance to increase fuel economy standards. Maybe he knows higher standards won't promote energy independence or save the earth. Rep. Dingell, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has been protective of the auto industry and skeptical over the effectiveness of higher corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards in fighting global warming. He has resisted fighting climate change on the backs of a beleaguered U.S. auto industry, at least as long as countries like China and India are allowed to build cars and roads without any environmental restrictions. If...

Washington - Rolling over intense opposition from car manufacturers, the Senate on Thursday approved the first substantial increase in mileage requirements for passenger cars in more than two decades. The measure was part of a larger energy bill passed late Thursday by a vote of 65-27. The bill is expected to be taken up by the House next week. The mileage measure was a major defeat for Detroit's Big Three automakers. If it becomes law, the provision would increase the combined average mileage of new cars and light trucks to 35 miles per gallon by 2020, up from about 25...

WASHINGTON - The Senate passed an energy bill late Thursday that includes an increase in automobile fuel economy, new laws against energy price-gouging and a requirement for huge increases in the production of ethanol. ... The White House said the president would be urged to veto an energy bill that includes the price-gouging measure, arguing it amounts of price controls. The president also repeatedly has said he opposes Congress mandating a specific mileage number for auto fuel economy. Bush believes the Transportation Department should be given increased flexibility to set a standard. ... Republicans blocked a $32 billion tax package...

WASHINGTON - The Senate voted Thursday to increase fuel economy standards to 35 miles per gallon for cars and SUVs, the first significant boost demanded of automakers in nearly 20 years.

WASHINGTON - The heads of Detroit's auto industry asked Congress on Wednesday to reconsider a proposal to increase fuel standards that the automakers say could hurt their industry. The leaders of General Motors, Ford and the Chrysler Group discussed the impact of health care, trade and energy policies on their companies, and asked House and Senate leaders to look at alternatives to a proposed overhaul of Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards for vehicles.

Beginning this Memorial Day weekend, members of the auto industry are rolling out a comprehensive campaign to convince Americans to oppose proposed increases in the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, and to pressure their elected officials to vote down such proposals. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM) has launched a website (www.drivecongress.com) that encourages citizens to compose messages of protest against “unrealistic fuel economy increases” to be hand-delivered to elected officials. AAM represents BMW, DaimlerChrysler, General Motors, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Toyota and Volkswagen. The website allows users to insert statements provided by the AAM, such as “I value fuel...

Are you dying to get a car with better gas mileage? You may soon be running that risk, all in the name of “energy security.” This week President Bush announced his plan to reduce U.S. gasoline consumption by 20 percent over the next 10 years. Five percent of this reduction — 8.5 billion gallons per year — is to come from increased gas mileage requirements for new cars and light trucks, known as Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards. Increasing CAFE standards sounds like a no-brainer. Just mandate new standards and, somehow, auto company wizards will find a way to meet...

rtsp://video.c-span.org/60days/wh051407_bush.rm President Bush on CAFE Standards and Alternative Fuels Pres. Bush makes remarks on alternative fuel and auto efficiency standards at the White House. 5/14/2007: WASHINGTON, DC: 5 min.

Fruity headache for cafe ownersBy Samantha Williams and Karina Dunger 03jul06 Cafe workers ... Julie Hanssens and Jodie Lee / Troy Bendeich BAD weather is set to affect the price of oranges after already crippling Australia's banana industry. The worst frost in 24 years has destroyed 40,000 tonnes - about 25 per cent - of the citrus fruit produced in southern Australia. "They won't hit skyrocketing prices of bananas but there will be some price hike due to the reduction of fruit on the market," Riverina Citrus CEO Peter Morrish said. Oranges currently sell for $2.50kg, with experts predicting rises...

To provide consumers with more real-world fuel economy information when shopping for cars, SUVs, and pick-up trucks, EPA is proposing new methods to determine the city and highway mpg estimates that appear on the window stickers. The new methods will take effect for model year 2008 vehicles, which will generally be available for sale in fall of 2007. "With President Bush encouraging energy conservation, EPA is ensuring American motorists can be confident that the fuel economy estimates more closely reflect today's real world driving experiences," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "Consumers weigh a variety of factors when shopping for...

Coffee cups featuring a quote by a gay author about growing up homosexual have been pulled from Baylor University's on-campus Starbucks. Aramark, which as the contractor for Baylor dining services oversees the coffee outlet, pulled cups from the campus store earlier this month after a university staff member sent out an e-mail complaining about the appropriateness of the quote at a Baptist university, Baylor officials said. The e-mail was sent on to Baylor dining services, which consulted with Starbucks' district office, which said it fully supported a decision to take the cup out of circulation to avoid offending others, Baylor...

...The leading current proposal, promoted by environmental groups and Congressional Democrats, would raise the standard to 40 mpg by 2010 from 27.5 mpg today. This might save gas, but we know for sure it will cost lives. That's because a primary way auto companies meet CAFE standards is to reduce the weight of their cars. Auto weight fell by about 500 pounds per vehicle after CAFE rules were introduced in 1975. Research has consistently confirmed that the lighter the vehicle the more dangerous it is in a crash because there is less survival space and less physical structure to absorb...

Drumbeat Of all places I could expect to see a “drumbeat” for raising Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, (Drumbeat Grows Louder For Fuel Efficiency, Patrice Hill, Monday, August 22, 2005.), the last was the front page of the Washington Times. As a matter of fact, it should have been on the op-ed page, as the first paragraph of the article clearly shows: The recently approved energy legislation excluded the biggest item that would have cut U.S. dependence on foreign oil as well as help lower record-high oil and gasoline prices: higher fuel efficiency standards for cars and sport utility vehicles.What...

Government knows best, consumers are stupid. Are we consumers too stupid to take intelligent action? Are we too ignorant to make wise decisions? Are we so helpless that we need the government to make decisions for us? Can the government make decisions that are more efficient than the free market? Is the government smarter than car manufacturers? Will the loss of even more freedom of choice make us feel more secure? With gas prices approaching $3.00 a gallon, a hue and cry has been raised for the government to do something. In the wake of a new federal “energy policy”...

I HAVE a dream: President Bush pushes through a grand compromise -- he bucks Big Oil and Detroit by raising automobile fuel-efficiency standards, while enviros grind their teeth and support oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. That dream was interrupted Thursday by U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman, who was in San Francisco to speak at the Commonwealth Club. He arrived here just as Congress passed a 1,745-page energy bill that doesn't do much to improve fuel efficiency but has billions of dollars in tax breaks for energy companies. I've clung to this dream because raising fuel efficiency would...

...Higher oil prices hit the economy much like a tax increase.... It's a testament to the effectiveness of the 2003 Bush tax cuts that the economy continues to grow briskly despite this anchor of high fuel costs. So what can be done about it? In the long run, the government can lift restrictions on domestic production of oil and natural gas in Alaska and offshore. The Federal Reserve can also play its part by tightening what has been the most accommodative monetary policy since the 1970s.... And speaking of the 1970s, the most important thing Congress can do is not...

WASHINGTON -- Back in the good old days when the price of gas in Seattle was a mere $1.50 a gallon, miles-per-gallon weren't so important. The number was a curiosity, the basis for bragging rights and mental exercise during long trips. That was two years ago. Today, with the price of gas pushing beyond $2.45 a gallon in the Puget Sound region and federal projections saying it will reach $3 this summer, the miles-per-gallon estimates calculated by the Environmental Protection Agency have taken on a new prominence in a nation suddenly intent on squeezing every mile out of its cars....

By RICHARD GILBERT Thursday, May 19, 2005 Updated at 12:25 AM EDT Special to Globe and Mail Update A month ago, Ottawa reached an extraordinary agreement with the auto industry. The deal commits the industry to improving the fuel economy of cars, sport utility vehicles, vans and pickup trucks in operation in Canada by as much as 50 per cent by 2010. If implemented, the agreement could produce the most radical change in vehicles Canadians have seen - and perhaps some social changes, too. Here's why. According to the agreement (known as the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of...

Democrats talk Social Security at World Cafe Senators voice opposition to private accounts; Clinton, Rendell absent despite headline billing By eric leventhal and ross avila March 15, 2005 Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) speaks at the 'Fix It, Don't Nix It' event, a Social Security rally held at World Cafe Live at 30th and Walnut streets. Several other prominent Democrats attended the event, including New Jersey's Sen. Frank Lautenberg (far right). [Shreyans Bhansali/The Daily Pennsylvanian] Four of the nation's most powerful Democrats visited University City on last week for "Fix it, Don't Nix It," a town hall meeting addressing President Bush's...

Blind Feed the Blind at New Paris Eatery By JOCELYN GECKER Associated Press Writer September 23, 2004, 2:47 PM EDT PARIS -- They tasted like tomatoes, but in the pitch black it was hard to tell. A couple at the next table was obviously struggling with eating blind, too. "I don't know what it is," came a man's voice in the darkness. "Oh! That's not good," his lady friend responded....

CORUNNA, MI – Sam Burwell, third generation UAW member and autoworker, Local 362, today issued the following statement: "President Bush has presented a clear agenda for a more hopeful America and a more prosperous economy, but John Kerry has responded with nothing but cynicism and false attacks. John Kerry's plans for higher taxes, increased regulation and more government spending would devastate Michigan's economy. “Kerry's proposal for higher CAFE standards would kill 450,000 jobs and has been criticized by the UAW for its harmful impact on the American auto industry. Michiganders aren't going to trust a candidate who cares more about...

Ken Mehlman, Bush campaign manager, told NBC's "Meet the Press" that the campaign should focus on Kerry's judgment during his 20 years in office. We will, too, starting soon. However, Bob Dole said two weeks ago that he can't remember a single piece of legislation that Kerry sponsored. We can. We can remember a lot of the hateful legislation Kerry supported; legislation that would have definitely been harmful to low and middle-income American families. Democrats are generally uninformed, politically. In all fairness, many of them are occupied trying to make ends meet and just have no time to pay attention...

A ranking Republican senator is challenging Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's campaign promise to make the U.S. free from Middle East oil in 10 years by raising Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) standards. Senate Energy & Natural Resources Chairman Pete Domenici Thursday not only challenged Kerry's "fatuous promise," but urged Kerry to participate in "serious energy solutions." "For 18 months, the Senate has struggled to pass an energy bill. John Kerry has missed every energy vote, including a July 2003 vote on the very CAFE proposal he now touts as America's energy salvation," Domenici said. "This week, Senator Kerry launched...