The Ethanol Papers - Paperturn manuscript - Flipbook - Page 170
CARB continues to ban the conversion of existing gasoline-powered vehicles
to CNG or propane. This ban not only grossly exceeds the EPA’s onerous restrictions on conversions of existing vehicles; it flies in the face of all global
experience and scientific testing that proves that CNG and propane - as well as
the conversion process itself - are safe, economical and efficient.
On this same point let me state further that CARB does nothing to expand the
use of domestic ethanol or methanol or to encourage the purchase of newly
manufactured CNG/propane powered passenger vehicles by mandating or
even suggesting the installation of additional alternative fuel filing stations.
The Line in the Sand is Completely Imaginary
The worst part of the new CARB rules – regardless of whether the same rules
are adopted by the EPA – is that the enforcement is toothless, and this is where
the public really gets screwed.
Let's say that battery/electric technology doesn’t improve. Let's say that the car
manufacturers just cannot make enough zero-emission electric or plug-in hybrid
vehicles to satisfy the requirements – either because they can’t afford to make
that many vehicles that they lose money on or because public demand is just
not there for a high priced or inferior performing vehicle. What happens then?
What happens is that CARB and/or EPA allows gasoline and diesel-powered
vehicles to continue to be manufactured, but they then impose penalty fees on
consumers when they register the non-compliant vehicles or on the manufacturer for the right to sell the vehicles (which would of course be passed along to
the consumer in a higher vehicle price). Therefore, what we have here is just
one great big dodge to increase government revenues without actually doing
anything to alleviate the pollution problem or to solve our general economic
problems.
The New Jobs Fallacy of the New CARB Rules
The Advanced Clean Car Program claims it will create a significant number of
new jobs. In actuality, I don’t think there’s any wording that says that the program will create a “significant number” of new jobs, I put that in. After all, what’s
the benefit of an all-encompassing mandated program creating new jobs if it’s
not for a significant number?
