Don Nickles: “I do not need to repeat their statements, but I think it is vitally important that they prevail in beating this…”

“I do not need to repeat their statements, but I think it is vitally important that they prevail in beating this amendment. This is not an esoteric amendment. As the Senator from Ohio said, there are lives at stake. Do we really think we can have a big increase in the corporate average fuel economy standards mandated on sport utility vehicles without having economic consequences? There are going to be consequences. Vehicles may cost more. It is quite likely they will have to reduce the weight of the vehicles. The vehicles will not be as safe. We are superimposing Government wisdom on manufacturers and on consumers. The sales of these vehicles are going quite well because consumers want them. Yet if we come up with a Government-mandated higher fuel economy standard, presumably with the idea that this is going to be more fuel efficient, it may make the vehicles more expensive. It may make the vehicles more unsafe. It may cost lives. It has significant economic consequences on families. So I urge my colleagues to defeat the amendment that is pending.”