http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2002/2002L-01-31-09.html Environment News Service: AmeriScan: January 31, 2002
Auto Workers Favor Greater Fuel Efficiency WASHINGTON, DC, January 31, 2002 (ENS) - A new poll released today finds that voters in Michigan - epicenter of the American auto industry - support raising fuel efficiency standards for America's cars and trucks. The poll, commissioned by the Sierra Club, found that Michigan households with a United Auto Worker (UAW) member are even more likely to favor tougher fuel economy standards. "Autoworker households in Michigan overwhelmingly supported raising fuel economy standards to 40 miles per gallon," said Celinda Lake, president of Lake, Snell, Perry & Associates, a "progressive" polling firm whose principals are among the Democratic party's leading strategists. "We found that support is high in part because Michigan voters, including UAW households, believe that increasing standards will create jobs and help the economy," said Lake. "It may run contrary to conventional wisdom, but in the hotbed of America's auto industry, voters want cars and SUVs to go farther on a gallon of gas." Pollsters found that 77 percent of Michigan voters favor increasing standards to 40 miles per gallon (mpg) over the next 10 years. Of those, 51 percent strongly favor increasing standards. An even higher percentage of UAW households, 84 percent, favor increasing fuel economy standards to 40 mpg over the next 10 years. Of those, 57 percent strongly favor increasing standards. Strong majorities of voters favored increasing fuel efficiency standards across all demographic and political subgroups. Poll results show that support for increasing fuel economy standards to 40 mpg in the next 10 years remains strong even when respondents are presented with the auto industry's position that "requiring increased average mileage increases the burden of regulation on the American car industry, costs jobs and adds hundreds of dollars to the purchase price of cars." After hearing both sides of the debate, voters rejected that argument by a margin of 76 to 17 percent, and UAW households rejected the argument by the margin of 80 to 14 percent. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said January 18 the light truck fuel efficiency standards will remain unchanged at 20.7 mpg for the 2004 model year. Since 1996, Congress has prohibited NHTSA from spending any funds to consider any changes to the level of 1996 Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. This prohibition was lifted in December 2001. "Raising auto fuel economy standards is an essential element to a balanced energy plan that offers quicker, cleaner, cheaper and safer energy solutions," said Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club. "This poll illustrates strong support, even in the home of the loudest opponent to fuel economy standards - the auto industry. Americans recognize that raising fuel economy standards is the single biggest step we can take to reduce our dependence on oil without sacrificing the wild places Americans love." ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Get your FREE credit report with a FREE CreditCheck Monitoring Service trial http://us.click.yahoo.com/ACHqaB/bQ8CAA/ySSFAA/FGYolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
