The once mighty US car industry has been blighted by the lack of a coherent US energy policy to cut dependence on foreign oil, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger charged Monday.
“The government should provide money to help the automakers in research and development, but it can also no longer keep changing their policies,” said Schwarzenegger at the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) conference here.
“We need a vision for energy, a vision for our cars, a vision for greenhouse gases and a vision for tailpipe emissions. In all this time we have not had those visions.” AFP
Schwarzenegger said the Obama administration is now working to create a vision for U.S. energy policy. He said he has had conversations with federal officials and wants California to lead the country when it comes to setting low emission standards.
“We’re marching forward and want to be an inspiration to the rest of the country and Washington,” he said. “Other countries are lowering their emissions levels. We need to be leaders in cleaning up our act.”
He also said he favors government efforts to help Detroit’s ailing automakers. He defended previous remarks in which he told the domestic companies to “drop dead.”
The governor said General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC have an opportunity to survive and make progress in creating cleaner vehicles. Chicago Tribune
The governor will speak Monday at the Society of Automotive Engineers’ 76th-annual conference at the Motor City, which has been hit hard by the recession and high fuel prices that have hurt the sale of gas-guzzling SUVs.
But this year’s four-day conference, titled “Racing to Green Mobility,” will focus on auto technologies that are environment-friendly and less dependent on fossil fuels.
Schwarzenegger may also have some personal interest in flying to Detroit for the conference because he’s a bit of a car buff himself. San Francisco Chronicle
“Detroit is going to be back,” said Schwarzenegger, known for his “I’ll be back” line from the 1984 movie “The Terminator.”
“Detroit is a leading force in the car industry and ... right now they are going through some painful times,” he said. “And for anyone who says leave them there—don’t help them—this is a huge amount of nonsense talk.”
He even offered to do a free commercial for any domestic automaker once General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC, which have received $17.4 billion in federal loans, along with the U.S. government, commit to new restructuring plans.
“I want to help this industry to get back on its feet as quickly as possible,” Schwarzenegger said.
Automotive companies—including GM, Ford and Honda—also welcomed Schwarzenegger as he took a tour of the show floor.
“A dozen other states have gone in the same direction that we have gone, and we want this country to go in the same direction,” Schwarzenegger said. “I believe very strongly that there should be one standard.” Detroit Free Press
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