T. Gorton: “Twenty-five years ago, in 1975, the Congress--an enlightened Congress, I may say--passed a certain set of requirements…”

“Twenty-five years ago, in 1975, the Congress--an enlightened Congress, I may say--passed a certain set of requirements demanding that automobiles and small trucks on average from each manufacturer meet certain fuel efficiency standards; that is to say, that they get better gas mileage and, not at all incidentally, provide less pollution into the atmosphere of the United States. That statute was passed, of course, in the aftermath of the oil boycott on the part of Arab countries and a steep rise in gasoline prices. Though I am quite conservative and often critical of government regulation, I know of few, if any, regulatory regimes of the United States that were more successful. In a period of a little more than 5 years, the average fuel efficiency of automobiles in the United States for all practical purposes doubled. That proposal was passed, incidentally, over arguments that were not similar to the arguments that are made against this motion today but identical to the arguments made against this motion today.”