Environmentalists Speak Out On Euro Auto Bailouts

"In contrast the European plan sounds rather more like a blank check, and a very large one at that," warned Mr. Dings and Mr. Fodor.

They also call it "astonishing" that the European car industry now is asking for loans to develop fuel efficient models and accuse the industry of spending the last 15 years "attacking each and every proposal of the European Union to legislate on new car fuel efficiency."

"It is clearly not in the public interest that any further loan even be considered until the European car industry drops opposition to the original proposal of the European Commission," they wrote. That proposal included emission limits of 130 grams of CO2 per kilometer by 2012 (the current average is nearly 160 grams). The authors also called for carmakers to support longer-term targets of 80 grams per kilometer by 2020.

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Comments

[AngryLefty]

drill, baby, drill.

should be.

innovate, baby, innovate.

[Paralogos]

That's what the shareholders told the bankers to do, and look where it got us. ;o)

[DrewRicketts]

The governments of the world all have to apply the pressure on human beings to make better vehicles with better energy. Barack Obama should not be the only one to take responsibility for our bruised planet going forward: Obama's Green is the New Black - http://newsone.blackplanet.com/nation/ricketts-obamas-green-is-the-new-black/

[Hawka]

Is it just me or is everybody wanting a bailout these days. I mean, China's auto-industry was doing the same thing with its own government, and we all know what's happening here in the U.S.