Gutting America’s Fuel Economy Standards Puts Jobs, Innovation At Risk in Indiana
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is moving forward with plans to gut the nation’s future fuel economy standards for cars and light-duty trucks.
A labor-environmental partnership in the state argues that rolling back the standards would be bad for workers and communities in Indiana. Tom Conway works for the BlueGreen Alliance in Indiana. He says the standards have helped grow jobs and investment in the state.
CONWAY: “Weakening fuel economy standards hits the brakes on American innovation and endangers jobs. There are 288,000 workers in the U.S., building components to make vehicles more fuel efficient. Indiana has the second most in the nation, with over 32,000 jobs. Keeping strong standards keeps investment in plants in our state flowing and those jobs secure.” (:18) Download MP3.
Automakers have made or promised at least $7 billion in investments in 13 facilities in Indiana since 2008. Conway says a significant portion of that investment represents added and enhanced investment in innovative products and manufacturing processes made to meet the nation’s commonsense fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards.
The EPA will be taking input on the proposed changes over the coming weeks.