The auto industry had already spent several years in court battling California and other states to prevent them from imposing stricter new fuel efficiency standards. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, of New York, asked the chief executives of the big three: “Why in the world should my constituents or taxpayers in New York state or any state provide… loans for your companies if you will continue to attempt to undo laws that we have adopted in our states? Wouldn’t that be the equivalent to giving your money to sue us?”
The heads of the Big Three evaded the question—they politely said they’d prefer one national standard—and Congressional leaders let the matter drop.
The question arose once again today, or at least it should have, when President Obama instructed the EPA to reconsider the case of the California standards.
“Keep in mind that the money that was given was one to two manufacturers [GM and Chrysler],” Charles Territo, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers said. “And all manufacturers have opposed the standards. Those lawsuits were brought by the entire industry, to protect the longstanding federal law that says that fuel efficiency standards should be set at the federal level and not by individual states.”
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