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The Obama administration announced yesterday that it will modernize the fleet of federal vehicles, buying more fuel-efficient models from Chrysler, Ford and GM.
The administration will use $285 million from the $787 billion stimulus bill to purchase 17,600 vehicles, in an attempt to grow confidence among the public in the domestic automakers. Obama had originally wanted to spend $600 million on purchasing fuel efficient vehicles to replace the entire federal fleet, but was heavily criticized in Congress. It was reduced to $300 million in the final stimulus package.
In a speech at the Energy Department, President Obama addressed those opposed to the plan. “Critics of this plan ridiculed our notion that we should use part of the money to modernize the entire fleet of federal vehicles to take advantage of state-of-the-art fuel efficiency. This is what they call pork,” he said on February 5.
“You know the truth. It will not only save the government significant money over time, it will not only create manufacturing jobs for folks who are making cars, it will set a standard for private industry to match.”
The plan requires the replacement vehicles to be at least ten percent more fuel efficient than the vehicles they will replace.
In a statement yesterday, Obama reiterated his commitment to the ailing domestic auto industry. “I am 100 percent committed to a strong American auto industry, and we will stand with America’s auto workers and their families during these difficult times.”
Source: The Detroit News
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