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Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dale E. Kildee (D-MI) and Congressman Fred Upton (R-MI), co-chairs of the Congressional Automotive Caucus, sent a letter to the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to express their strong opposition to NHTSA’s decision to exempt Nissan Motor Company from established fuel economy standards on cars they produce in Mexico. Kildee is absolutely stunned by the decision because it will place U.S. automakers at a complete economic and competitive disadvantage.
“We cannot afford to allow foreign auto manufacturers to completely disregard fuel economy standards, while American auto manufacturers are working hard to meet these requirements,” said Kildee. “I am outraged that the NHTSA is willing to give a foreign auto manufacturer an enormous competitive advantage, while the U.S. manufacturing sector is hemorrhaging jobs.”
The Corporate Average Fuel Economy program has effectively recognized the needed balance between environmental concerns and economic growth. All foreign automakers that produce or sell cars in the U.S. are supposed to adhere to the same CAFE standards that U.S. auto manufacturers are required to meet.
“NHTSA’s decision sends the wrong message to automotive companies because it inadvertently rewards auto manufacturers for failing to meet fuel economy standards,” said Kildee. “Although U.S. auto manufacturers have a record of meeting and exceeding CAFE standards, they will suffer significantly from this exemption. We should be rewarding automotive companies for meeting these standards, rather than penalizing them for playing by the rules.”
As co-chair of the Congressional Automotive Caucus, Congressman Kildee has worked hard to ensure a fair balance between CAFE standards and the economic realities facing U.S. auto manufacturers and U.S. auto workers. Kildee recently introduced a resolution to discourage the Bush Administration from engaging in bilateral trade agreements with Thailand that would eliminate or reduce tariffs on imported pickup trucks, which could cause the loss of tens of thousands of American automotive jobs. Kildee’s resolution has strong bipartisan support from nearly 200 Members of Congress. Congressman Kildee has been a strong opponent of Free Trade Agreements that abandon American workers, while exploiting foreign labor and weakening environmental standards in other countries. |
