William Bryan: “if the recollection of the Senator from Nevada is correct, in the mid-1970s, the distinguished Senator from Washington…”

“if the recollection of the Senator from Nevada is correct, in the mid-1970s, the distinguished Senator from Washington was the attorney general of that State. As the attorney general, he was a leading advocate on behalf of consumer issues in his State. Perhaps the Senator will recall when the legislation, referred to as CAFE, the corporate average fuel economy standard, was offered on the floor of the Senate and in the other body. Those from the automobile industry said at the time: if these CAFE standards are imposed upon us, everybody in America will be driving an automobile smaller than a Pinto or a subsized Maverick. That was at a time when fuel economy for passenger vehicles averaged less than 14 miles per gallon. As a result of the Congress taking that action, fuel economy, from 1973 to 1989, doubled. Does the Senator recall the essence of the testimony offered by one of the automotive manufacturers? I wonder if he might want to comment on what actually occurred over those intervening 16 years when we were supposed to be driving around in Pintos and subsize Maverick automobiles.”