Today President Obama announced that folks from various and industry groups are backing him up on his plan to reduce greenhouse gases and improve automobile fuel efficiency.
It’s about time.
Critics will pick apart his plan. Environmentalists say he didn’t go far enough. Those on the right will say he’s increasing cost to consumers. It seems like Detroit has rolled over and played dead, as the auto industry has collapsed and doesn’t have the lobbying might it once had.
I won’t get into all the arguments pro and con—this is a debate that has gone on for far too long . . . but what I like about Obama’s plan is that it gives us time . . . time to consider a complete shift in auto technology, whether it’s plug-in hybrid or alternative fuels such as those that are methanol-based or (wishful thinking) biofuels or hydrogen.
Whether you care about climate change or not, the reality is that oil is going to spike in price again—we don’t know when, but it will. And industry can adapt and change—there are examples of this happening at a micro level all the time—which I’ll eventually get to discussing . . . so stay tuned!
