Our Jim Gerstenzang on oil spills and public policy

Jim Gerstenzang, writing with Dan Becker, has this op-ed piece in the Detroit Free Press looking at the Gulf Oil spill within the context of America's energy policy and gas mileage.  From the article:

The lesson of the BP disaster is that we must now substantially toughen those standards. They need to be strong enough that auto companies will produce cars that begin to break our reliance on the internal combustion engine. To do that, the Obama administration will have to weaken the grip of big oil and the auto industry.

The new mileage standard represents a 4% annual increase in fuel economy. If it is next increased to 5.5%, from 2017 to 2025, we could ultimately save an additional 3.5 million barrels of oil a day.

Accomplishing this is not rocket science. It's auto mechanics. Better engines, improved transmissions and aerodynamic, hybrid and new electric vehicle technology are all awaiting installation by Detroit.

Given their track record, the car companies will only use them if we adopt tough standards. We own GM and Chrysler. Let's tell them and the other automakers: It's time to help, not hinder. Use your engineers, not your lobbyists.