Years ago, we were told that that a 35 mpg standard was not only possible, but probable, and that the more fuel-efficient cars would be getting 50 mpg.
Now, as the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) reports, Congress would like to put this standard into law by 2020. If we do this, we’ll reduce imported oil by over a million barrels daily.
However, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers says forget it, can’t be done. Toyota, a member of this group, paints itself as a very green company. Its Prius hybrid appeals to energy-conscious, conservation-minded car buyers. But Toyota is part of the chorus trying to stop the passage of the new standard
If you think Toyota should reconsider, click here to send the company’s CEO the following letter (or a modified version in your own words):
I am appalled that Toyota is opposing a guaranteed increase in fuel economy standards to 35 miles per gallon by 2020. If your company is serious about satisfying consumers and fighting America’s addiction to oil, it’s time for your lobbying to match your advertising rhetoric.
Toyota’s ads paint the company as the greenest, most fuel-efficient car company on the market. If that’s the case, why is Toyota an active member of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, a Washington lobbying group that claims that a sensible 35 m.p.g. standard is “unattainable”?
Americans who love the Prius bought the message that Toyota is a leader in the field. But your current lobbying activities threaten to paint you as no different than any other gas-guzzling auto company.
I urge you to back up your green image by calling for a guaranteed 35 m.p.g. standard by 2020 that allows for continuous improvement after 2020. And I call on you to withdraw Toyota from any lobbying association that opposes a guaranteed 35 m.p.g. standard.
