Climate versus Growth?
The Obama Administration says it is laying the groundwork for a long, green, economic recovery. But plenty of people argue that the recovery part and the green part contradict each other.
One piece of evidence to support the pessimists emerged from Washington last week. Inside EPA reports that the administration environmental champions are not getting their way when it comes to the ongoing restructuring of Chrysler and General Motors.
Environmentalists are noting that neither Chrysler's bankruptcy announcement nor GM's most recent shareholder prospectus mention or endorse some of the administration's major environmental initiatives that impact the auto industry:
- EPA's pending GHG limit on the transportation sector
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's pending rule to tighten CAFE standards, or
- EPA's reconsideration of California's request to regulate tailpipe emissions.
As I've indicated before, I tend to be more sanguine about the prospects of melding a green economy and a recovery for the auto industry.
Detroit should take the initiative and leverage the administration's environmental inclinations to the hilt, recommending newer, bolder green innovations in exchange for additional support. For its part, the administration should hold the line and make sure that any auto industry that rises from the ashes because of taxpayer support is an environmentally sensitive industry as well.
http://www.climatechangeinsights.com/admin/trackback/133227
