The BP Oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and the bailout of American automakers makes now the perfect time to end our dependence on petroleum, writes The Journalism Shop’s James Gerstenzang in a Bloomberg opinion piece. To get there, the United States should permanently ban oil production in the Gulf and force auto makers to make vehicles increasingly energy efficient.
Gerstenzang, with co-author Safe Climate Campaign director Dan Becker, explain:
Now that we, the American taxpayers, own most of General Motors Co. and a chunk of Chrysler Group LLC, they should help, not hinder, this effort. So should the chastened Toyota Motor Corp. They and other manufacturers should assign their best engineers instead of their top lobbyists.
To achieve a more stringent standard, no new laws are necessary. Congress and the Supreme Court have already given the president the tools he needs, including the Clean Air Act. He used them a year ago and has said he is willing to use them again.
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