For years, Detroit's automakers managed to fight off attempts to tighten mandatory fuel economy standards. Their biggest ally was usually U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D. - Mich., once again chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
But times have changed. House leaders agreed to boost required fuel economy standards a stunning 40 percent by 2020, to a fleet-wide average of 35 miles per gallon.
"It's not a perfect bill, but it's a bill I can live with and support, and a bill the automobile manufacturers can live with," Dingell, who has been in Congress since 1955, said in an interview this week.
The writing had been on the wall since June, when the U.S. Senate passed an energy bill that delivered a stunning rebuke to the domestic car manufacturers. That bill also called for CAFE (corporate average fuel economy) standards of 35 miles a gallon.
The car companies lobbied hard against that all spring. They had enlisted both of Michigan's senators on their behalf, including highly respected Carl Levin, now head of the Senate Armed Services Committee. But the Senate voted 65-27 for the tougher standards. In one memorable moment, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, (D-Nev.) told the automakers, "We don't believe you anymore. We've had enough."
Clearly, the auto companies had lost a lot of their clout.
Why? For one thing, they are far smaller than they were, meaning they are bound to be a lessening political factor. Plants have closed; legions of workers have been laid off. A congressman from a district where a Ford Motor Co., General Motors or Chrysler plant has closed is not a congressman inclined to do any favors for the Big Three. There are fewer than half as many autoworkers as there were in the 1970s. The Bush administration, rejected twice by Michigan voters, isn't inclined to do very much for the industry.
Increasing environmental concerns have lessened the carmakers' clout. And House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) who has never been a big fan of big auto, moved quietly to lessen Dingell's influence over the energy bill. To his credit the man -- whose nickname in Congress was "the truck" -- saw it coming.
Sources familiar with what went on in recent months say that Dingell delivered a blunt message to the automakers:
"Work with me and I may be able to get you a bill that you will absolutely hate -- but which you will be able to live with. But dig your heels in, and you'll get a bill you may not be able to survive."
During an interview Wednesday, the nation's currently longest-serving congressman said he had won some major concessions to mitigate the effect. "We separated (standards for) cars and light trucks."
He acknowledges one major defeat -- the CAFE standards will be regulated not just by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, as Dingell wanted, but also by the Environmental Protection Agency. Californians insisted on EPA involvement as well. The nation's largest state wants the EPA to grant them a waiver that would permit them to set a CAFE standard of 43.7 miles per gallon, which may effectively make Detroit noncompetitive in California.
The botton line, Dingell said, was that he believes the 35 mpg standard by 2020 is doable. What will that mean for the nation's fleet of vehicles? "I don't have a crystal ball, but I think it's likely there will be more smaller cars on the roads," Dingell said. That is, if President Bush doesn't veto the energy bill, as the White House is hinting he might.
"I'm just a poor Polish lawyer," Dingell said. "How would I know whether the President will veto the bill or not?"
Actually, The Truck is as savvy as they come. He arrived in Congress when George Bush was nine years old, and is more than likely working on compromise language even now. Dingell may be 81, but he knows the auto companies face a very different future.
This bill may end up dragging them into it.
Contact Jack Lessenberry at Bucca@aol.com or write to him at 189 Manoogian Hall, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, 48202.
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