Public+Policy+-+Regulatory+Policy+--+Automobile+Industry


 * Regulatory Policy -- Automobile Industry**

The constant struggle with the automobile industry is the desire for better gas mileage and lower emissions. Some of the politicians in government believe that America as a whole needs to move towards more fuel efficient and safer for the environment vehicles. This is not the case for many citizens in the south. Hybrids are in no way a viable alternative at this time for those who only drive trucks and use trucks for what they were designed for, to haul lots of weight. To force Americans to transfer, a way of life to say, is not a feasible action at the moment. President Obama has proposed a move to more fuel-efficient car of tomorrow. This in turn is planned to decrease emissions of all cars produced in America. He believes a push to have the average gas mileage of 35.5 miles per gallon is the best and easiest choice for Americans to move to a greener country. This, in turn, is not the easiest thing to do and not everybody wants a god of gas mileage car. Many people are not for this because it will take away from their potential of their cars. One down side is the loss of power that will result in a higher gas mileage. This means that sports car industry in America will be no more and America will not be able to compete the Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s. This puts America in a poor position, as we will be importing more cars from other countries because the product is no longer made in the states. Another problem posed is the Big Rigs and trucks will lose their ability to pull large amounts of weight because the greater emissions regulations put more restrictions on the engine not letting it reach its full potential pulling power. Another argument is what gives the government to regulate something having to do with capitalism. America was formed on the pretense of a free country, our way of free market sets us apart from other countries, allowing us to create and sell what we want as long as it does not interfere with something previously passed by congress. The automobile industry a very large industry and source of jobs in America. Regulating this industry would cripple its chance of competing with other countries automobile companies. With this industry not being as competitive the income drops which forces the companies to lay off workers and increase the unemployment rate in America. Not every American needs a forty to fifty mile per gallon car for the sole reason the restrictions lower the integrity of what the car once was. Now if America went in with the rest of the world and proposed a worldwide regulation on automobiles there would be no need to compete with sports cars because they would indefinitely become extinct. Eventually in the future these engines may perform the same as the big diesel engines but until then the wide use of alternative fuel engines it not very applicable in the southern American states. Congress should instead of forcing companies to have their fleet of vehicles to have a certain average miles per gallon; they could give large grants to these companies to further their research on alternative fuel cars. This could also help the need of needing to spend the 700 billion dollars needed to stimulate the economy to bring America out of this recession. Emissions on the other hand should not be as regulated to a strict number because America and their vehicles are not the only object polluting the atmosphere. Refineries in other countries are also pumping toxic gasses up into our precious atmosphere. If America goes completely “green”, only a small portion is helping the world. President Obama believes that once America is safer for the environment the whole world is safer and less polluted. If and only if the rest of the world jumps on this bandwagon the world’s pollution might have a chance of dropping. But just regulating the vehicles in America is not going to solve the world’s problems. Vehicles in America are not the only and sole reason that the atmosphere is depleting. Even in America other refineries, stores even homes are sources of pollution harming the ozone. If congress is to put restrictions on automobiles they should also put restrictions on everything emitting a harmful gas or toxin into the air that causes damage to the atmosphere. There is no sense in fixing one problem when there is many more out there that cancel out your new solution. It should either be all or none. The desire to have a greener country would be more effective is the whole world tried to pass a law forcing everyone everywhere to abide by a regulation on the emissions of the automobile industry. America is only about one thirty-fourth of the landmass of the entire world and a little over a fourth of all oil consumed. This is not a significant enough value to say that America will solely reverse the effect of greenhouse gasses. The whole world needs to step in and do their part if the American government, congress and President Obama, wants to have a greener way of life. In all reality right now the technology of alternative fuel is not strong enough for a whole shift from fossil fuels. The lower emissions is also not a big enough pro to force companies to change the power plant used in these vehicles for well over a century. Many problems will occur in these cars until years down the road when all the bugs and glitches are worked out. Putting restrictions on these cars causes America’s domestic made goods to not be a strong competitor in the realm of world trade, and this in part ultimately leads to the loss of jobs in the states. Also the choice of what an American citizen wants to drive should be up to the person buying the car, not the government of the country they show pride for. Not everyone wants a hybrid but eventually it might be a reality that everyone would have a hybrid that gets the job done that they need a certain vehicle for.

Sources: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/mar/04/auto-industry-emissions http://energy.ihs.com/News/petrochemicals/2009/epa-petro-refineries-11209.htm http://ezinearticles.com/?Hybrid-Cars-Vs-Gas-Cars---Pros-and-Cons&id=414266