Well, we finally have the official census figures, and for the first time in history, Michigan lost people in the course of a decade. Worse, we'll have fewer members of Congress.
Join me over the fold for a reasonable solution, what will likely happen instead, and other bad news for the Great Lakes State from the 2010 U.S. Census.
Time again for my weekly feature in which I excerpt my articles from Examiner.com. This week, the digest not only describes what happened on primary night, but also debunks two popular myths about this election year.
Many column inches have been written about the anti-tax sentiment sweeping the country in the form of Tea Party protests and town hall meetings during the past year. However, only a relatively small amount of that well-publicized hostily to taxation was in evidence Tuesday, as ten of the thirteen ballot proposals involving property taxes passed, some by impressive margins with relatively strong turnouts exceeding the county average of 21.28%. Only the renewal of the millage for the general operating budget for Manchester Township, one of the millage renewals for police protection in Northfield Township, and the bond proposal for the Saline Area Schools failed.
Details on the ballot proposals at the link in the headline.
In municipal primary elections held last Tuesday, all the incumbents running to keep their offices won. In Ann Arbor, the mayor and five council members won strong, in some cases overwhelming victories over an insurgent slate. In Ypsilanti, the mayor and the one council member who ran for re-election also won by large margins.
These electoral wins came despite widely publicized anti-incumbent sentiment which claimed only a few victims in the state, most notably Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, who lost her congressional seat in the primary.
Details on the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti municipal elections at the link.
It looks both these memes (anti-incumbent and anti-tax) held little weight in local elections. Take that, Tea Party!
Other races, including Governor and U.S. House of Representatives, on the other side of the jump.
October 3, 2009, the Washtenaw County Democratic Party held its annual dinner. Three U.S. Congressmen were in attendance. The first was freshman Representative Mark Schauer, a young, vibrant and optimistic Congressman. The second was Representative John Dingell, the longest-serving member in Congress today and a man who has introduced a single-payer health care bill every year for 52 years. The third was a pioneer in the Civil Rights Movement, a man jailed over 40 times, beaten and bloodied for his views and actions, Representative John Lewis from Georgia. He attended President Obama's inauguration as the only living speaker from the rally at the March on Washington. These three men, from dramatically different backgrounds and perspectives, all spoke with one voice in saying that health care reform in this country is the civil rights struggle of our time.
From L to R: County Dem. Party Chair Stu Dowty, Rep. Mark Schauer, Rep. John Dingell, Rep. John Lewis
Today, at an Organizing for America (OFA)-sponsored event, U.S. Representative John Dingell was presented with over 4,000 health care declarations supporting President Obama's three principles of health care reform. It was a great event with over 250 supporters in attendance and only one anti-reform protester who walked up and down the road in front of the building with a sign reading "Abortion is not health care."
In his comments, Rep. Dingell pledged his strong support of public option in the health care legislation that is under consideration in Congress. At this public meeting, he equated mandated health care coverage without a public option to a giant handout out to the health insurance industry. Some quotes from his talk and more photos after the jump.
Rep. John Dingell holds up 4,000+ health care
declarations presented by OFA
John Dingell's town hall meeting in Romulus last night was not an exchange of ideas, it was a shouting match with a group of thugs. No one deserves to be treat this way, least of all the longest serving person in Congress. Mr. Dingell handled the situation with grace when speaking with the reporter after the meeting.
Heading into last night's health care town hall meeting with U.S. Representative John Dingell, my wife and I anticipated that there would probably be a decent turnout of opposition from the tea bagger side of the tracks. I've been reading about how the Disrupticans (hat tip: Detroit Mark) have been shutting down any semblance of civil discourse at these events all around the country and there was little reason to think it would be any different here in Michigan.
And, of course, we were right.
Representative Dingell, bless his heart, did not shirk the crowd or the tough questions. There wasn't a single softball lobbed at him the entire night. Yet even when he refuted some of the most ridiculous myths and accusations of the tea baggers, he was shouted down, called a liar and treated as if he was personally responsible for the euthanasia of all senior citizens in the country.
MONROE - It appears an extremist right-wing group called the "Conservative Caucus of Monroe County" is planning to disrupt the Monroe County Fair Parade on Sunday.
The group is calling its disrespectful and illegal protest "Operation Urgent Fury," and according to their web site the plan is"to give "Representative John Dingell a reception he won't forget when he comes to Monroe to participate in the Monroe County Fair Parade."
John Dingell is the longest serving Congressman in history, serving since 1955, and he is a friend to the working man, the environment and those without a voice in the political process.
At the beginning of every session of Congress since 1955, Congressman Dingell introduces the national health insurance bill, just like his father before him did. He is continuing that fight against right-wing lies and scare tactics that are in full throat today.
We need everyone to come out and support Congressmen Dingell against these extremist nut jobs. The parade starts at 1 p.m., and the Monroe County Democratic Party will meet at the corner of Jones Ave. and S. Monroe St. at 12:30 p.m. to line up for the parade.
Lately there has been a lot of Debate over the number of Democratic Congressional Districts that Democrats could gerrymander out of the state of Michigan if they had complete control (right now they hold the Governorship and State House. They stand a good chance at taking control of the State Senate while the Governor's race is a tossup). A few people have said that it is possible to succesfully draw a map that would yield 12 Democratic seats and only 2 Republican seats. I've been trying for several weeks to draw a 12-2 map, meanwhile protecting endangered incumbents (specifically Schauer) and I've determined that a 12-2 map would be far overeaching and in a neutral or Republican leaning year might end up 9-5 or worse. I think the best Michigan Democrats could do is create 11 safe or Democrat leaning districts and 3 strongly Republican districts. I've drawn a map that I think does just that, although I still am not entirely confident that we could hold both of my "Thumb" districts in a Republican year. But without further ado, here's my map.
Congressman John Dingell recently proposed a 50- cent a gallon increase of the federal gas tax (thanks to Brady for the alert). The federal gas tax is now somewhere around 18 cents a gallon and states also impose a tax on gasoline.
My guess is it's an extremely unpopular idea. But, I'm going to try to advance an argument that a gas tax makes sense. It's not going to be an easy argument to make. In a failing economy, with gas prices at an all-time high of about $3.40 a gallon, the last thing the average citizen wants to hear is the government wants to tax gas by another 50 cents a gallon.
Observer & Eccentric: High school freshman's blog makes a case against McCotter. The Congressional watch blog "Mad at Thad" got a nice profile in yesterday's paper.
WMR: Report from the Kent County Democratic Party March Meeting. Check out Phil's ridiculously detailed report. Wouldn't it be cool if more county parties started doing posts like this?
Media Mouse: Levin Tells Iraqis to Pay for Reconstruction. The Mouse has some criticisms about Sen. Levin's latest remarks about Iraq.
Freep: Mayor would attack text messages' authenticity. "There will be a lot of conversations about texts and the authenticity of all of it," he said Tuesday in a brief exchange with reporters. "So I'm looking forward to having that conversation at a later date."
Susan J. Demas: A recall worthy of ridicule. "I asked Drolet if he really believes Dillon spends every waking moment plotting to raise taxes again. 'It doesn't matter if I think he'll rape someone again,' he told me breezily. 'He has to be held accountable for the rape he did commit.'"
State Government/Legislation
Michigan Messenger: Anti-bullying forces to descend on Capitol to get Senate to pass bill. "Hundreds of educators, students and community members are expected to descend upon the State Capitol next week to demand the Senate pass a comprehensive bill aimed at stopping bullying in schools. The bill passed the state House a year ago, but has since languished in the Senate awaiting a hearing."
House Dems: House OKs $40 Million Expansion of No Worker Left Behind Program. "Under the leadership of State Representative Richard E. Hammel (D-Mt. Morris Township), the House today passed the governor's plan to expand Michigan's program to retrain thousands of displaced workers so they can land good-paying jobs available now in high-demand fields."
Jackson Cit-Pat: SmartZone bill clears big hurdle. Jackson could be eligible for a new SmartZone under a bill being pushed by Rep. Simpson and Sen. Schauer.
WOOD: Granholm Town Hall Meeting Video. Here's your chance to watch the Governor's town hall, in case you missed it (link via BFM).
Freep Editorial: Great Lakes states must protect every drop they can. "How long can Michigan and the other Great Lakes states afford to let such problems spiral out of control? Somewhere, a potential water disaster is lurking, much as a transportation disaster struck when a Minneapolis freeway bridge collapsed last August."
LSJ Editorial: Crumbling: Michigan needs investment in roads, not more gravel. "Businesses look at public infrastructure when deciding where to invest. If they see Michigan going backward, will it increase or decrease the chances new firms will land here?"
Environment, Energy & the Economy
Tri-Cities Biz Review: Alt-energy grows like a breeze, thanks to corporate purchasers. "Sustainability is finally becoming more than a buzzword, and morphing into a real business imperative. We salute the SC Johnsons and Steelcases, those corporations doing the right thing and proving the financial worth of alternative energy sources." You can read more stories on renewable energy in the Business Review publications here and here.
Flint Journal: UAW's Gettelfinger blasts American Axle in local speech. Give 'em hell, Ron! "We don't have a national health care program when every other country takes care of their citizens," Gettelfinger said. "We pay more and get less... But that's why we have 47 million uninsured Americans in this country."
WLNS: City Named as One of the Best to Live and Work. "Forbes magazine has named Jackson one of the best metropolitan areas to live and work." Yes, you read that correctly.
[con]serving Michigan: CDC Report Adds to Growing Evidence of State's Toxic Burden. "Under pressure from the public and from Congress, including U.S. Reps. John Dingell and Bart Stupak, both Michigan Democrats, the CDC finally released the report this last week. The recently leaked report finds that thirteen Michigan communities have elevated rates of infant mortality, cancer and other health problems."
Great Lakes Guy: X Doesn't Mark the Spot in MI. Sixty-four teams to date have entered the $10 million competition to see who can produce a market-ready automobile capable of 100 mpg. None are from Detroit, and only one is from Michigan (Ann Arbor).
Michigan Messenger: Metro Airport expansion plan doesn't fly with neighbors. "A planned expansion of Detroit Metropolitan Airport is threatening to uproot thousands of people and dozens of businesses, but local officials and residents are fighting back."
Odds & Ends
Phil Power: We must change bad attitudes. "What Michigan needs to realize is that the auto industry has transformed its manufacturing basis from a brawn-based to a brain-based model. It's no longer enough for a new hire to get to work more or less on time and not get into fights with his or her foreman."
Let me know if I forgot anything. Drop your links in the comments section...
Just noting that "Michigan's Favorite Power Couple" is losing power, fast. (Thank goodness) My diary of earlier today about JD being handed his weathered head by Nancy Pelosi and Arnold Schwarzenegger re CAFE standards etc., Nancy + Arnie terminate Dingell's preemption perversity, covers J. Ding; and wife Debbie's defeat in persuading DNC Dean to be her deferent doormat (thus leading to the result of Mich being stripped of its delegates), is in various diaries today, but see especially greee's comment linking to photos of the defeated dinosaur-Detroit-automaker doyenne Debbie D in her abjection at Dean's DNC today. Sad. Very sad. And utterly her own fault, despite months of warnings.
After these Dingell dual disasters, Michigan can hopefully be persuaded to get new leadership faster (in the 15th District Congressperson position and the Michigan DNC Committeeperson position), shed the corruption, and get out of its mess faster. Sail on!!
...The package nearly fell apart this week when Mr. Dingell insisted on leaving sole authority to regulate automobile mileage standards with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an arm of the Transportation Department. That would have weakened the power of the Environmental Protection Agency and the states, led by California, to regulate auto emissions of carbon dioxide, which are in large measure a function of the amount of fuel burned.
Federal court rulings this year have decided this so-called pre-emption issue in favor of the E.P.A. and the states, decisions that Mr. Dingell hoped to undo by Congressional action. ...
The authority of the E.P.A. to regulate tailpipe emissions and the right of California and other states to set their own, higher standards were considered deal-breakers by Ms. Pelosi and her fellow California Democrat, Senator Dianne Feinstein. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Republican governor of California, weighed in late in the week to tell negotiators that he would oppose the bill if the [sic] Mr. Dingell's preemption language stayed in.
Mrs. Pelosi and Democratic leaders in the Senate rejected Mr. Dingell's preemption effort, but softened the blow by agreeing to allow the car companies to retain a credit for vehicles capable of running on a blend of gasoline and ethanol. That credit was set to expire in 2008 but now will begin to decline in 2014 and be eliminated entirely by 2020. ...
AP: Issues in state budget dispute appear to be narrowing. We'll hold you to that, Matt: "We're not even interested in a continuation budget at this point," said Matt Marsden, a spokesman for Republican Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop of Rochester. "There is no reason not to get this done." Christoff has more on the budget in this article.
DFP: Battered speaker stands by role in budget dealing. "I'm not angry yet. Maybe I'll get angry," [Dillon] said. "I feel bad for other members who were doing the right thing, and now they have to face this. I'm not taking it personally."
AP: DNR warns of cutbacks unless fees raised. "The department is seeking a wide-ranging package of fee increases - including the first boost in hunting and fishing license prices since 1996... Without the increases, funds that support game and fish programs, forest development and state parks will have deficits. That will require "drastic reductions" in programs and services, the DNR said."
Walt Sorg: Interviews with Rep. Joan Bauer (D-Lansing) and Sen. Valde Garcia (R-Howell). Hop over to AM Lansing's website to listen to the interviews about the budget situation.
LSJ: Bill under consideration would compensate people exonerated by DNA evidence. "The proposal calls for compensation of $50,000 for every year spent behind bars, plus repayment for expenses, lost wages and medical care."
Michigan's Economy
WILX: "Green" Development Announced. Downtown Lansing is suddenly a hotbed for redevelopment projects. Here's the latest.
Bay City Times: The investments just keep coming at Dow Corning Corp. "Dow Corning recently announced it would spend $50 million to cut emissions at its Midland plant, and reduce its natural gas use by an amount large enough to heat 3,500 homes... That's on top of the whopping $1 billion expansion and 1,300 construction and manufacturing jobs at the company's Hemlock Semiconductor plant in Saginaw County."
AP: Detroit automakers want action on Japanese currency. "To me, there's absolutely no doubt that Japan has been managing its currency," said Mustafa Mohatarem, GM's chief economist, citing estimates that the yen is undervalued by 20 to 25 percent. "It's a fiction to believe that Japan's currency in any respects reflects market conditions."
D-News: UAW goes all-out for pact OK. "With a large contingent of dissenters jeopardizing ratification of the tentative deal, United Auto Workers leaders intensified their push for passage Tuesday, including recruiting UAW retirees to help make their case at informational meetings at Sterling Heights Assembly and Stamping, both of which vote today."
Michigan Messenger: LCC terminates domestic partner benefits for non-bargaining employees. Another blow to the concept of equality in this state.
Local/State/National Politics
BFM: West Michigan GOP in Trouble? It looks like a Republican stronghold could be trending blue.
Ann Arbor News: Dingell legislation would set deadline on Iraq pullout. "The legislation, introduced by the Dearborn Democrat without any co-sponsors, would require President Bush to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq within 30 days and require him to complete that withdrawal by the inaugural of the next president on Jan. 20, 2009."
LSJ Editorial: E.L. council: With three slots to fill, voters should mix experience, youth. Nathan Triplett gets the nod. Keep up the good work!
Let me know if I forgot anything. Drop your links in the comments section...
Rep. John Dingell, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is disappointed a House-Senate committee won't tackle legislation to improve the fuel economy of the nation's vehicles. Instead, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has chosen Democratic leaders to write an energy bill -- which would include provisions on fuel economy -- behind closed doors, rather than through a conference committee of House and Senate negotiators. She cited Senate Republican opposition to appointing members. "We cannot have a situation where if they don't give us a conference, we don't have a bill," Pelosi said. "With or without a conference, we will proceed." ... Dingell wouldn't divulge whether he would mount an effort to kill an energy bill that was too harsh on automakers. "I'm not foreclosing any option," he said. "I don't make the jungle. I just live there." ...
No, he does make the jungle. Consistently. And now he is reaping the unpleasant fruits of that, though less unpleasant than the deaths that Katrina victims had to suffer, maybe because of global warming (with effects such as increased hurricane damage...) partially caused by Detroit automakers' failure to make better cars--a failure Dingell has been the chief legislative enabler for, for decades.
Directly or indirectly, Speaker Pelosi is preparing the way for Dingell's "transition out of power"; and that's a good thing, too. Feel free to suggest primary opponents for him beyond those already suggested here.
Political leaders of both parties are pushing for the state Legislature to place the names of four Democratic presidential candidates back on the Jan. 15 primary ballot, trying to undo the damage to Michigan's political clout when the candidates removed their names from consideration this week. Democratic National Committee member Debbie Dingell and state GOP Chairman Saul Anuzis both support the idea; Anuzis said today the Republican leaders of both chambers of the Legislature are on board. ... "We have to be prepared to play hardball," said Dingell, the wife of U.S. Rep John Dingell, D-Dearborn, and a prime mover in the bid to challenge Iowa and New Hampshire. ...
That's just what Michigan's image needs: a white woman (person) who married into power, forcing an African American (Obama) and a Latino (Richardson), plus some others, to be forced to do something they don't want to do. And cuddling up with "Super Saul" Anuzis to do it. Now isn't that special.
Wasn't involuntary servitude abolished a long time ago??
...Why hasn't Debbie Dingell resigned from her position at the DNC, or been forcibly removed from it? She isn't happy there. And she clearly has no respect for the DNC, or maybe for anyone else either, maybe. (Except for her husband or General Motors--hard to tell the difference between them--, and Hillary, who could advance Debbie's career.)
Yes, involuntary servitude got abolished a long time ago (that "Civil War" thing), but not everyone has noticed, I guess...
Two of three leading Democratic presidential nominees have removed their names from the Jan. 15 Michigan presidential primary. U.S. Sen. Barack Obama and former Sen. John Edwards both filed paperwork to have their names withdrawn minutes ago with the Michigan Secretary of State's office. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson sent a letter yesterday, also asking to be taken off the list. Today is the deadline for candidates to have their names removed. Michigan Democrats were under pressure from the national party to disavow the state's recent move to push the primary ahead of both the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary in violation of party rules. The big question now is whether Sen. Hillary Clinton, the frontrunner among Democrats, will join the others and remove her name from the ballot. It wasn't immediately clear whether Michigan Democrats would now switch to their original plan to hold a caucus on Feb. 9. ...
Indeed. (And see my own 9/10/07 Daily Kos diary Barack, John, Hill: take your names off Fla./Mich. ballots!; not that that makes me a prophet, but...) If Mark Brewer can't change the plan and have a February 9 caucus, perhaps he should consider resigning from office. He messed up seriously by caving in and supporting the rulebreaking early primary plan that defied the whole DNC and Howard Dean. (See my earlier diaries on this) How does he look now? And how do John and Debbie Dingell look? And, I must say, Jennifer Granholm and Andy Dillon, who were seduced by Mike Bishop into defying their own party's National Committee primary schedule? I hope this all teaches the MDP a serious lesson; part of which is that they have done a terrible, terrible job for the Democrats, and the people, of Michigan. (Including wasting time on the early primary nonsense, rather than getting ready for the budget battle with the Republicans...) Thanks to Barack, John, and Bill for upholding the integrity of the DNC primary process.
(Note: as I'm completing this, I see the story's been frontpaged, http://michiganliber... . My commentary is something I want put up, though, so here we are.)
It's the final countdown! There. Now, you'll have that stuck in your head for the rest of the weekend. Enjoy your morning cup-o-links...
Countdown to Chaos
Peter Luke: Deal may be near on breaking budget impasse. "The main elements of an agreement are there, with the details still to be worked out," said Sen. Mark Schauer of Battle Creek, the Democratic leader in the Senate. "My sense is that no one is stalling or delaying. I think a lot of progress was made today."
BFM: Talks continue today, deal close?. Wizardkitten parses stories from the AP, MIRS, Freep, and the Detroit News.
Charles Ballard: Raise taxes or cut spending to solve state budget crisis? Prof. Ballard makes the case that Michigan is not a high-tax state, and explains that restoring the income tax to its previous level of 4.6%, our tax rate would still be lower than the rate in 38 states.
LSJ: Fraud is a crime, isn't it? Derek Melot says Legislators will have committed "fraud" by not passing a budget, and suggests towing their vehicles in the event of a shutdown.
AP: A look at what a partial state shutdown might mean. A nice rundown of what services probably will (and won't) be affected by a government shutdown.
ABC 12: State shutdown could force school closings. Looks like Saginaw schools will be shutting their doors if there's a shutdown. Looks like folks who do business with schools will be affected too.
LSJ: Shutdown would jolt downtown: Local businesses could take hit with state workers not reporting to Capitol offices. No state workers in downtown Lansing = no business.
Media Mouse: New Iraq Spending Request could Cost Michigan an Additional $12 Billion. This isn't directly related to the current budget crisis, but does anyone think this state can afford $12 billion on this pointless war?
Michigan Messenger: Students rally to protest tuition increases. Kevin has details from Wednesday's student rally at the Capitol urging the Legislature to invest in education.
Odds & Ends
WNEM: Michigan's Jobless Rates Drops In August. More headlines like this, please.
Oakland Biz Review: Guest Opinion: Making it in Michigan. Daniel Luria, Research Director of the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center, says an investment in alternative energy is one way to stimulate Michigan's struggling manufacturing sector.
[con]serving Michigan: Michigan LCV to Legislature: No More Budget Cuts to DNR and DEQ! The LCV released a report yesterday showing just how drastically underfunded the DEQ and DNR are. You can read the study ?Losing a Legacy: Why Michigan?s Magnificent Places are at Risk? here.
Michigan Messenger: Insurance rally brings out large crowd to urge fairness in insurance rates. Kevin has a great write-up on Sen. Martha G. Scott's rally at the Capitol on Wednesday for affordable insurance rates. I was there, and I can tell you it was quite an event. You think we've been waiting on a budget for a long time? Sen. Scott has been fighting to pass these bills for four years.
CQPolitics Analysis: House Democrats Carry Momentum into 2008 Campaign. MI-07 and MI-09 are now both in the "Leans Republican" category. Let's turn those districts blue!
Mark Maynard: dingell rolls out the gas tax. Mark takes a look at the general terms of his proposed carbon tax, which was released yesterday.
"Well, it wasn't an actual endorsement of U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential bid, but U.S. Rep. John Dingell today held nothing back in his rave review of her new universal health care plan. "There is no candidate for president with more experience in fighting the health care battle and more knowledge of the health care issue than Sen. Clinton, my partner in seeking to expand coverage for the children of our nation," Dingell said in a statement released by his campaign. ... He adds, "Her proposal outlined yesterday is a serious one that I welcome. Her focus on controlling costs and on making sure every American is covered is exactly right. They are her priorities, they are my priorities, and they must be our national priorities." ..."
Surprise, John Dingell endorses something Hillary has done. (See my earlier diaries on what I suspect Hillary might give the Dingells in exchange for their support; not that I'm alleging a conspiracy or nuthin...)
Hillary's plan includes MANDATORY health insurance purchase by you. Doesn't sound like a free country to me. In fact, she might let employers demand to see your health insurance papers before you are hired! according to the AP interview in my current Daily Kos diary and poll, Hillary on employers: "Ve vill see your HEALTH PAPERS!!", where the poll results support my pro-freedom position by about 2-1 at present.
"They are her priorities, they are my priorities, and they must be our national priorities.": they're not my priorities (at least as Hillary's plan frames and coerces them), Congressman Dingell. Nor those of a lot of people, I suspect. We'll see what happens. God bless America.
(Again, the question has to be asked ... why are the Big Three fighting so furiously a legal battle they're going to lose? And, why isn't the state encouraging them to find an alternative before this further hurts the rest of us? - promoted by Eric B.)
In a major blow to automakers, a Vermont judge rejected car companies' efforts to block 11 states from adopting California's stricter vehicle emissions requirements. It's the latest in a string of legal setbacks automakers face as they try to prevent what they call crippling emissions regulations from taking effect. At issue is Vermont's decision, along with nine other states, to adopt California's 2004 tailpipe emission rules. Beginning in 2009, the regulations require automakers to increase the fuel economy of vehicles by about 25 percent to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which have been linked to global warming. ... The decision rejected the automakers['] arguments -- in a case U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions III said largely hinged on whether the regulations were too draconian for automakers to comply with. "The court does not find convincing the claims that consumers will be deprived of their choice of vehicles, or that manufacturers will be forced to restrict or abandon their product lines," Sessions wrote. "The court remains unconvinced automakers cannot meet the challenge of Vermont and California's (greenhouse gas) regulations." He repeatedly referred to statements Detroit automakers made in the 1970s warning of the peril they faced if they were forced to install catalytic converters. ... He also rejected an argument that automakers could be forced to eliminate 65,000 auto jobs in the United States if the regulations took effect. ... Environmentalists hailed the 240-page decision. "The judge said baloney to all of Detroit's arguments," said David Bookbinder, a lawyer for Sierra Club who argued the case. "This was another example of Detroit crying wolf." ...
The chairman of the House Energy and Commerce committee said he expected a joint House-Senate conference will take up legislation to increase corporate average fuel economy -- and that he was prepared for a difficult fight but confident of victory. "We're going to win this fight," U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Dearborn, told a gathering of auto dealers at a speech in Washington. ... Dingell said [a] Senate bill imposes "intolerable burdens" on auto companies. ... "I go into this tussle comforted (by the support of auto dealers) Go get 'em," he told the dealers. "We're going to win this fight." ...
