Test because the website keeps acusing me of s*P*a*M

With all due respect to Mr. Peterson (posted on June 30th), the EPA WAS doing a 'reasonable job' of getting 'the baddies' out, until the current administration (Bush) "appointed 22 lobbyists, lawyers, consultants or business executives to top environmental policymaking jobs in federal agencies and the White House" (Erasing the Rules: A Facelift at the EPA; by Dan Fagin of Newsday). Under that 'leadership' whose primary job in the Environmental Protection Agency was to PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT, the EPA determined that it wasn't their responsibility to restrict industrial emissions that contribute to global warming, and furthermore, decided to ease anti-pollution rules, causing New York and other states to sue the EPA to make them do their job and protect the environment and the health of the people in our country, as affected by the cleanliness of our air, soil and water.

"The messianic proposed CARBite CO2 regulations create a "backdoor" (47MPG or more?) CAFE, effective in 2012. That is flat out as impossible, as their 10% all electric auto fleet mandate of 1990 was." Again, unfortunate that you (and others) are not familiar with the facts of the issue.

As a result of the CARB (California Air Resources Board) Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate in 1990, General Motors actually came through, and by 1996, turned their concept of a completely electrical car that was fast (up to three times the highway speed limit, with 0-60mph in 9 seconds! (according to http://ev1-club.power.net/ev1faq/ev1faq.htm)), and that could go about 100 miles without recharging into reality! They purposely debuted the EV1 using a weaker battery however, so it wouldn't appear to be as good a choice over a gas-powered car. GM later purchased a battery that was developed for it to go 100-120 miles without recharging. Now, there's even a battery that can go up to 300 miles without recharging! The EV1 required no gas or oil changes or mufflers. California even built a network of Electric Vehicle charging stations.

Then the big auto makers ganged up (March 1995: The American Automobile Manufacturing Association circulates a confidential proposal to launch a public relations “grassroots education campaign” to repeal the CARB ZEV program (just like they did last week: 'Feds Working Against State Emissions Law' by Erica Werner of the AP). With the inside help of Alan C. Lloyd, Ph.D, the Chairman of The California Air Resources Board (CARB), who was apparently only interested in fattening his own wallet, (he had just four months earlier become Chairman of the California Fuel Cell Partnership promoting development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, in direct competition with electric vehicles and a conflict of interest to his duties as chairman of CARB.), the auto and oil industries were off the hook when CARB eliminated the electrical vehicle production from the ZEV mandate.

Now, the fleet of electric vehicles is gone (after GM forcibly collected all of the EV1's from their customers and crushed them) and EV charging stations dot the California landscape, collecting dust and spider webs. Is it any wonder why the Toyota Prius is such a big hit, and the American car companies are laying off tens of thousands of workers and closing auto plants?! Now that the Prius hybrid is leading the market, the American companies are (half-heartedly) trying to catch up by making their own hybrids that don't even come close to what the Japanese hybrid cars can do. (According to the EPA, the fuel economy of combined city and highway driving for Japanese hybrids, from model year 2000 to 2006, is 42mpg. For American hybrids, which were introduced only in 2004, the combined city and highway driving fuel economy is only 25 mpg. (EPA fuel economy ratings web site, http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm))

The facts are these:

In 1990, GM had a few years' lead on the rest of the automotive industry (foreign and domestic) in electric and/or hybrid cars, and by December of 1996, the GM EV1 production electric vehicle was made available for consumer lease at $400 - 500 a month.

A FULLY ELECTRIC CAR that could reach 30mph in 3 seconds and 60mph in 9 seconds, with a top speed of 183mph, and eventually a battery that would allow it to go up to 120 miles per charge was available to the public over 10 years ago!

At the same time that American ingenuity was at it's finest, corporate greed was at it's worst. While leasing the EV1's as part of the fulfillment of the CARB's ZEV Mandate, GM and Western Petroleum States Association oil lobby were simultaneously releasing newspaper 'commentaries' and other misleading ads to misinform the public against the viability of electric cars.

In addition, the other major auto makers had produced or were producing their own hybrids (GM, Ford, Honda, Chrysler, Nissan, and Toyota all developed electric vehicle programs in response to California’s zero emission mandate — and most ended up crushing at least part of their EV fleets.), even as they filed lawsuits to kill the CARB ZEV Mandate and allow them to confiscate and destroy all of these electric and hybrid vehicles. Even as the automakers launched their EV programs, they undermined their success every step of the way so they wouldn't have to reveal to the general public the truth, that this 'messianic proposal' as you called it, was far from impossible, and was actually downright doable. The only thing holding all of this back, of course, was corporate and personal greed.

Not since the VW Beetle has a car been this exciting. Also, like the original Beetle, the engine is rear- mounted. It is NOT an electric car or a hybrid. It is a 60 horse power, 3- cylinder engine with 6 speed transmission (automatic or manual). Unfortunately, most of the dealerships that are selling these converted Smart Cars are charging between 22,000 and 29,900. At that price, they are no longer the economical cars that Europe has come to love. They’ re pricey show cars.