| Submit your comments on this article | |
| Home Front: Politix | |
| "Environmentalists" Ain’t Gonna Like This One | |
| 2004-04-23 | |
From Agence France Presse - 22 April 2004
US regulators have given Nissan North America a waiver from federal fuel economy rules in order to protect US jobs, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Rules were made to be broken. Particularly stupid politically correct rules. NHTSA announced Tuesday that it exempted Nissan from a provision in the federal fuel economy standards which the company was in imminent danger of breaching. Under the Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, standards, manufacturers’ domestic and imported car fleets cannot exceed an average gas mileage rate of 27.5 mpg -- per fleet. Snore. Oops! Must’ve dozed off there. What were you saying? But the official classification of domestic and imported cars will change later this year in accordance with a 1994 law implementing the North American Free Trade Agreement, which covers the United States, Mexico and Canada. The new regulations go into effect with the introduction of 2005 model-year vehicles and designate any vehicle as "domestic" if at least 75 percent of its parts or labour originate in any of the three nations covered by the treaty. Under ordinary circumstances, the new guidelines would change the designation of the Nissan Sentra from import to domestic -- at least for the purposes of measuring gas mileage. The fuel-sipping sedan is manufactured in Mexico. Nissan said that the reclassification would mean that its import fleet would no longer be in compliance with the CAFE car limit and it would be forced to begin sourcing parts for the Sentra overseas. In view of the threat to US jobs in the auto parts industry, NHTSA said it had no choice but to exempt Nissan from the "two-fleet" rule, and allow it to calculate the gas mileage for its entire fleet, regardless of where the vehicles were manufactured. If a foreign company with a plant in the U.S. sends jobs back overseas, is that outsourcing? Or maybe insourcing? What’s Kerry’s position on this - this week? "Projected job losses from denying the petition outweigh the potential job losses from granting it," NHTSA said in a statement, citing a provision in the CAFE law that exempts 2006 to 2010 model year cars from the two-fleet rule where the exemption preserves US jobs. Ya’ think? Whining from various enviro sources in 5, 4, 3... | |
| Posted by:Barbara Skolaut bskolaut@hotmail.com |
| #7 Amen, Barb. I own a Chevy S10, 1998. Bought my first one used in 1997 (1990 S10)(that was after I owned a 1969 Chevy C-10 for about 12 years), and I loved the1990 S10 then. I love my 'new' '98 S-10 even more now. This sounds kinda sad but it is the most luxurous vehicle I have ever owned. I guess I could get used to a 1/2 ton again (especially after the '69 C10) but I am absolutely sold on the S-10 line Wny not get an SUV, or an F-150? This S-10 I have has everything but an ass-scratcher and its cheaper. I have no problem with big truck owners, and I kinda feel sorry for them these times of high gas prices. The S-10 is more vulnerable in a collision, sure, but far more manueverable than the 1/2 tons. But it all boils down to choice. |
| Posted by: badanov 2004-04-23 11:20:31 PM |
| #6 Barb S. - on the money - I bought it knowing what I knew going in - no excuses, no complaints - I love my truck |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-04-23 11:02:02 PM |
| #5 Frank G: I've got a Honda CRV. I have no clue what mileage it gets; I spend $10-$15 a week on gas. Don't know what standards it meets, either (though I'm sure it met whatever standards were around in 1998). What I do know it suits my purposes, both in my business and for personal use. AND I had no problem getting downtown to work in the snow this winter. AND I could afford it. That's my criteria for choosing a car. (And I suspect it's the same for most people.) |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2004-04-23 9:44:50 PM |
| #4 Bragging: While my 2004 F-150 doesn't get good mileage (14 City with a tonneau cover) -it does meet car smog emission standards, which is unheard of in trucks. Remember this too: Ford F-150's are the single largest selling vehicle in America, like 1:20, with 800,000 sold last year. Bush is really killing the trees, huh? Bullshit |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-04-23 8:40:06 PM |
| #3 cannot exceed an average gas mileage rate of 27.5 mpg -- per fleet" When they say "exceed", they mean the cars can't suck more gas than 27.7mpg. More gas means less miles per gallon. So "less" really is "more". |
| Posted by: Steve 2004-04-23 1:08:05 PM |
| #2 "cannot exceed an average gas mileage rate of 27.5 mpg -- per fleet". I don't get this, if you acceed that average it means that more cars are above 27.5 mpg, wouldn't that be a good thing? |
| Posted by: ruprecht 2004-04-23 11:10:01 AM |
| #1 Does this mean that my Cod will have higher lead content. Lead makes me dreary. |
| Posted by: Lucky 2004-04-23 1:35:01 AM |