Barbara Mikulski: “I oppose the Gorton amendment on CAFE standards. I oppose lifting the freeze on CAFE standards because it would hurt…”

“I oppose the Gorton amendment on CAFE standards. I oppose lifting the freeze on CAFE standards because it would hurt American workers, American consumers and our economy. First, if we raise CAFE standards--we lose American jobs. More and more American workers are building larger cars and sport utility vehicles. That's because these are the cars that Americans want to buy. But if we raise CAFE standards, U.S. car makers will be forced to build smaller cars. That means higher costs--for new equipment, new product lines, new tests. I'd rather see these resources used to leapfrog to new technologies that make cars safer and more efficient. Meanwhile, our foreign competitors won't have to do anything. They won't face new costs. So by raising CAFE standards, we'll put American workers at a competitive disadvantage with their foreign competitors. Second, raising the CAFE standards means fewer choices and higher prices for American consumers. Americans are buying larger cars and SUVs because they're safer and better fit their families' needs. So by raising CAFE standards, consumers will have fewer large cars to choose from. They'll also face higher prices--since manufacturers will pass on their higher costs. Finally, we cannot forget the reason why so many Americans are buying larger cars--because they are safer. If we have more small cars on the road, we will likely have more injuries and fatalities that result from car accidents.”