Michigan Votes Forum

Introduced in the Senate on August 1, 2007, to memorialize the United States Congress to enact H.R. 2927, which responsibly balances achievable fuel economy increases with important economic and social concerns, including consumer demand

The vote was 32 in favor, 0 opposed and 6 not voting

(Senate Roll Call 246 at Senate Journal 76)

Click here to view bill details.

Senator Kuiper's statement is as follows: I would like to give a brief explanation for why Senate Resolution No.89 is before us today. I think we all understand CAFE what happens with Senate and House resolutions when they're sent to our federal delegation in Washington. My hope is that their reaction to this one will be a little bit different. It's believed that maybe as early as tomorrow the House will be voting on an energy bill which will contain language forcing the auto manufacturers to adopt stricter CAFE standards. I think we all have been working to improve the condition of our environment. Those environmentalists will say that CAFE standards are really the only way for us to decrease our dependency on foreign oil but also improve the cleanness of our environment. I would urge this body today to adopt this resolution which really asks for Congress to adopt a more moderate resolution to the CAFE standards currently being debated. Increasing fuel economy standards has real costs, fewer options, and automotive options in sales. We believe it will lead to increased bankruptcies in our auto industry and, of course, tens of thousands of additional jobs will be lost. We as a state can't afford to have additional jobs lost, considering what we've gone through in the last three or four years. It's believed that increasing the CAFE standards to the extent that the leaders in Congress want to do currently today will add thousands of dollars to the cost of a new vehicle. While customers value fuel economy, they also want many other attributes in today's vehicles, such as safety, passenger room, and cargo space. They want to be able to climb a mountain with their vehicle, tow a boat, or haul additional products in their cars. Raising CAFE standards limits customer choice and potentially makes them less safe on our highways. We believe that increasing CAFE standards ultimately could lead to more deaths on the roads. Over regulation shifts research dollars away from technologies such as hybrids and hydrogen vehicles. We've placed a lot of emphasis in this state in recent months on exploring the alternative fuel industry and the impact that will have on our automobiles. This additional regulation in terms of CAFE standards will force auto companies to redirect hundreds of millions of dollars from research and alternative fuels to meeting the requirements of this mandate. Implementation of CAFE standards outside the parameters of H.R. 2927 will cost our auto manufacturers more than $100 billion according to the Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Now it was my intent when I initially began working on introducing a resolution on CAFE standards and what our statement as a Michigan Senate should be. I wanted to go in a different direction, a much more harsh direction. But the industry supports what is contained in H.R. 2927, and after discussions with the members of that delegation from Ford, GM, Toyota, and Chrysler, it was suggested that they feel much more comfortable with what's contained in H.R. 2927, and they ask that our resolution here in the Michigan Senate reflect that. I'm urging members of this body to support this resolution to send a message to Congress that increasing the standards in a drastic way will harm our auto industry at a time when we can't afford to have that happen.

Senator Basham's statement is as follows: I rise in support of the Kuipers' resolution. But also I just wanted to note that I think what the Kuipers' resolution does is reinforce the good work that the dean of the Congress, my congressman, John Dingell, has done working on behalf of those folks who care about the environment but also care about jobs in the auto industry and what they mean to Michigan. And, certainly, the dean of the Congress has taken a more reasoned approach than some of my colleagues on the same side of the aisle. We need to address a comprehensive package when it comes to global warming, but also we need to do it in a way that certainly protects and encourages the auto manufacturers to move in a direction of higher CAFE, which they're doing, and alternative fuels, which they are doing. So, I certainly, believe that the autos are heading in the right direction. As a matter of fact, General Motors just posted a profit for this quarter. Ford is doing better. The turnaround is happening with the Big 3. They have issues with legacy; certainly, we need to allow those industries to grow and prosper. I was fortunate enough to have worked in the auto industry for my career and have a retirement with health care as a result of that. I would hope that my son who works in the same industry and the same manufacturer would have those same benefits that I've had. So, certainly, the Kuipers' resolution moves in that direction, and I would encourage members to support it.

Senator Allen's statement is as follows: I rise wholeheartedly in support of this resolution, and I want to talk about the fiscal impact and how that this is going to help our state. As you know, the CAFE standards have been a standard that has moved us to energy independence and in an area that has been worthwhile for us to keep on the conservation movement. But an aggressive CAFE standard also has the hindrance to our union jobs. One out of every five jobs in the state of Michigan is directly related to the auto industry. In 2000, a third of the cars assembled in the United States of America were made in Michigan. That number is down to 22 percent. That has had a significant impact on our ability to support services because of the loss in tax revenues. These are very well-paying union jobs, and these jobs are the ones that have been the backbone to the middle class. I think what is being put forth through the leadership of the dean of the United States Congress is a very fair one. It's balanced and appropriate, and I think we need to move forward with this resolution as printed.