Obama vows tax credits, aid to automakers for hybrid cars

[babylonsister]

Obama vows tax credits, aid to automakers for hybrid cars
Gordon Trowbridge and Mark Hornbeck / The Detroit News


LANSING -- Barack Obama today set a goal of 1 million plug-in hybrid vehicles on American roads by 2015, and offered tax credits to buyers and a "major commitment" to help the domestic carmakers meet the goal.

Those and other efforts, Obama said in a mid-day speech at the Lansing Center, would allow the United States to end its imports of oil from the Middle East and Venezuela in 10 years. And, he said, it would re-energize Michigan's struggling domestic carmakers.

"I know how much the auto industry and the auto workers of this state have struggled over the last decade or so," Obama said. "But I also know where I want the fuel-efficient cars of tomorrow to be built: not in Japan, not in China, but right here in the United States of America. Right here in the state of Michigan."

Plug-in hybrid vehicles such as Chevrolet's Volt are domestic automakers' leading strategy for meeting the demand for higher fuel economy and to cut carbon emissions from autos. GM has set the ambitious goal of making the Volt available to consumers by 2010, though developing battery technology to meet that goal is proving difficult.

Also today, Obama proposed selling 70 million barrels of oil from America's strategic petroleum stockpiles. He said that move could help in the short-run to drive down gasoline prices that now top $4 a gallon. Previously, Obama opposed tapping into the reserves, located in caverns in Texas and Louisiana.

more...

http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080804/METRO/808040391

[Muttocracy]

1. kick

[babylonsister]

2. Awww, someone saw this!

:hug:

[Muttocracy]

3. That's why I like to go through threads by start time

otherwise good stuff gets missed!

:hi:

[babylonsister]

5. In fairness, I think a lot of DUers saw or heard Obama's speech

today, so knew about this. But thanks. :hi:

[truthisfreedom]

4. KnR! McSplode pretends that Obama doesn't have an energy policy, but meanwhile he's lunging ahead!

Obama's opportunity to make the news with this is perfectly timed with the rethug's meaningless ridicule.