George Voinovich: “President, as cochairman of the Senate Auto Caucus, I am pleased to join with my colleagues, Senator Bond and Senator…”

“President, as cochairman of the Senate Auto Caucus, I am pleased to join with my colleagues, Senator Bond and Senator Levin, as a cosponsor of this corporate average fuel economy standards amendment to the Energy bill. It is an important issue, and it impacts on the economy of our country, the environment, and the safety of the traveling public. There is no doubt that each of us wants the automobile industry to make cars, trucks, SUVs, and minivans that are energy efficient. It is not only good for the environment, but it means more money in the pockets of the American consumers because they are going to spend less money at the gas pump. However, I am deeply concerned that the artificial and arbitrarily chosen CAFE standard supported by some of my colleagues will have a devastating effect on jobs. Ohio is the No. 2 automotive manufacturing State in America, employing more than 630,000 people either directly or indirectly. I have heard from a number of these men and women whose livelihood depends on the auto industry and who are, frankly, very worried about their future. There is genuine concern that a provision mandating an arbitrary standard could cause a serious disruption and shifting in the auto industry resulting in the loss of tens of thousands of jobs across the Nation. Domestic automakers build the light trucks that consumers want. DaimlerChrysler's fleet of light trucks makes up more than 50 percent of their entire fleet.…”