7-27-09 by dugan
Shoulda been a big gain for the environment: Turn in your gas-guzzling clunker for a federal credit up to $4,500 to buy a cleaner car. Not much cleaner, it turns out: as little as 4 mpg for passenger cars, and 0–yep, zero–for big pickups. It’s welfare for auto companies more than environmental benefit. From a Public Citizen analysis:
Consumers who trade in cars and light trucks that get less than 18
miles per gallon will receive up to $4,500 to buy a new vehicle from
the program. A car may be traded in for a new car that gets as little
as 22 miles per gallon; the owner of a large pickup truck that gets 15
miles per gallon or less may be eligible for a $3,500 voucher to
purchase another large pickup truck of no better fuel economy if it is
"smaller or similar" in size.
So the new car or truck will be cheaper, if the turn-in is worth less than the credit. But the "cleaner" part seems like an afterthought.
Of course those "large pickups" are still mostly American-made. It’s also estimated that funding for the program will only last until Labor Day.