Paoe Six THE MICHIGAN DAILY Thursday, August 4, 1977
.5. eases auto fume curbs
FOrm Wire Service Reports
DETROIT - A congressional
conference agreement yester-
day on a major change in tail-
pipe pollution standards should
end threats of massive auto
plant shutdowns by next week,
the industry indicated.
The compromise set a formu-
la that will ease federal re-
quirements on auto emission
standards for new American
cars beginning in 1980.
THE REVISED STANDARDS
are less stringent than those
written into law in 1970, but
still tougher than the House-
passed version that the indus-
try supported.
House and Senate conferees
had earlier agreed to extend
for two years the tougher stan-
dards of the 1970 law that were
to go into effect in 1977.
Wednesday, after a seven hour
session, they settled the stick-
ier issue of how much to ease
auto emission requirements for
1980 and subsequent models.
That cleared the way for
adoption of a revised federal
clean air law which the auto-
makers have said is essential
if the nation is to avoid an in-
dustry - wide shutdown, thous-
ands of layoffs and an economic
downturn.
THE INDUSTRY had argued
that it could not legally sell
any new cars in the upcoming
model year because none of
the companies were prepared
to meet tough 1978 emission
standards under existing law,
which would be replaced by the
committee proposal.
Approval by both chambers
is likely by tomorrow, when
Congress is scheduled to start.
a month-long recess. The House
is to take up the measure to-
day.
"We are relieved that it
(the conference committee) has
reached a decision," said El-
liott Estes, president of General
Motors Corp., the nation's larg-
est automaker.
GM WARNED last week that
it would begin shitting down
plants "immediately" if Con-
gress failed to approve new
emission standards by Mon-
day, when GM is to begin 1978-
model car output.
"We hope the House and Sen-
ate will act promptly so that
we can get on with the job of
building our 1978 cars and
planning for our cars of the fu-
ture," Estes said in a prepared
statement yeterday.
United Auto Workers Presi-
dent Douglas Fraser said the
conference committee's action
"should avert the shutdown of
auto production which could
have caused layoffs for hun-
dreds of thousands of auto
workers and countless others in
supplier industries."
A TOP FORD MOTOR CO.
official said the outlook foa.
continued strong car sales this
spring "has been strengthened
considerably by the prospects
for governmental action enab-
ling us to sell 1978 models."
American Motors Corp. said
it was "happy the long debate
is over," but complained that
the compromise standards for
1980 and after are tougher
than it had wanted.
In a more strongly worded
statement, Chrysler Corp, cri-
ticized the conferees for recom-
mending standards which "go
beyond health needs, unques-
tionably waste fuel and will be
an additional and unnecessary
cost burden to the American
consumer." _
A YEAR AGO, House-Senate
conferees sought to resolve dif-
ferences over amended auto
pollution standards much like
the bills brought before this
year's conference committee.
But Congress adjourned before
a compromise could be forged.
Overall, the committee com-a
promise on hydrocarbon, car-
bon monoxide and nitrogen ox-
ide is closer to the Senate ver-
sion, supported by the Carter
administration, than the House
version, supported by both the
industry and the UAW.
Conference Committee Chair-
man Edmund Muskie, (D-
Maine), a leading advocate of
tougher auto pollution stand-
ards and principal author of
the original Clean Air Act,
called the comprbmise "reason-
able."
But Rep. John Dingell, (D-
Mich.), a committee member
and chief sponsor of the House
bill, said the conference ver-
sion is "sacrificing the consu-
mer to great cost and lost fuel
efficiency for no proven health
benefits to be realized in the
future."
Dingell gave no figures on the
added cost or fuel penalty that
would result from the new
standards.
Neither Chrysler nor GM
said they would not be able to
meet the proposed clean air
standards which toughen tail-
Chrysler become law. GM,
start '78 production next Mon
day.
I Tosoht st700&935
Tonight at 7:00 & 9:00
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ALL NEW
THE BAD NEWS
BREAKING
TRAWINNG
P ceoLR A A o , T ICTuaE
12 14 V erIt " y
ENDS TONIGHT-
"THE OTHER SIDE
OF MIDNIGHT" (R}
Toniqht at 8:00 only
STARTS
TO MORROW
. .. In the Tradition of
"FLESH GORDON"
~t 1O COroS
CATHARINE ERHARDT
s ''X ao s
CA AiN E HARDT)
LENCE
!IEA NI
When someone drinks too
much and then drives, it's the silence
that kills. Your silence.
It kills your friends, your
relatives, and people you don't even
know. But they're all people you
could save.
If you knew what to say,
maybe you'd be less quiet. Maybe
fewer people would die.
What you should say is,"I'll
coffee never made anyone sober. ,
Maybe it would keep him awake
long enough to have an accident
But that's about all.
The best way to prevent a
drunk from becoming a dead drunk
is tostophimfromdriving.
Speak up. Don't let silence be
the last sound he hears.
drive ohoie Or, "Let call ---------------------1
Caeyoucc , me a , DRUN KD1RiVtER, DE!PT. Y A-j
cab." Or, "Sleep on my couch oxD2345tY I
tonight." IRoCKVLL, I.MARYLAND 20852
Don't hesitate because your Idon't want to remain silent. #t
friend may have been drinking only Tell me what else I can do. '
beer. Beer andwine can be just as tI
intoxicating as mixed drinks. --.t l'
And don't think that black I Addeso,. .. - -
coffee will makehim sober. Black . .-.... it-. --_ --
FRIENDS DON'T LET FIENDS DRIVE DRUNK.