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Fuel economy standards affect us all. Commuting to work, taking road trips, simply getting from point A to point B, we use our vehicles for transportation. As the President of the National Grange, fuel economy standards especially impact the hundreds of thousands of American farmers and ranchers who rely on vehicles to make a living.

If Congress passes unrealistic legislation to increase CAFE standards, the vehicles my members and I use day in and day out will be jeopardized. The Senate recently passed legislation that would impose harsh regulation on automakers, levying the largest regulatory burden on an industry ever, $114 billion. The Senate language also leaves out important provisions on biofuels that affect Americans across the country, especially farmers.

The National Grange supports H.R. 2927 because it is a balanced approach that will allow farmers and rural workers to continue to use the vehicles they need for their livelihood. It encourages automakers to put money towards research of advanced technologies and alternative fuels, rather than reconfiguring engines to meet extreme CAFE standards. Many farmers live on narrow, two-lane rural roads where two-thirds of auto-related deaths occur. The safety of our vehicles cannot be sacrificed due to extreme Congressional regulation. We thank the more than 160 members of Congress that have cosponsored this balanced bill And urge all others to stand up for rural America and do the same.

William Steele, President, The National Grange

Last week’s auto workers rally in St. Louis, MO was an encouraging display of our hardworking and dedicated brothers and sisters who are fighting for their jobs by supporting the bipartisan Hill- Terry energy legislation, HR 2927.

The rally was a demonstration of labor and of leadership, with over 300 workers representing different American auto manufacturing plants and leaders on the local, state and national level.

The UAW recently predicted that if enacted, the harsh Senate legislation would cost 17,000 jobs. As a member of Driving America’s Future, I fully support legislation that reduces green house emissions and I am in favor of policy that will protect our planet, but we must create jobs in the process, not eliminate them. Passage of the Hill-Terry bill would allow the auto industry to further fund alternative fuel development and advanced technologies (American automakers currently invest $17 billion annually) and in the process create “green collar” jobs. These jobs would be needed to develop and produce cars that run on batteries, hydrogen and ethanol.

Industries, jobs and family incomes – particularly those of the 100,000 Latinos employed in the automobile industry – will be greatly affected by the decisions made this fall in Congress. Unrealistic CAFE standards are not the best way to solve our energy issues. Instead, such challenges require ways of redefining the situation and leaping ahead. One strategy should be to put more national focus on new automotive technologies and alternative fuels. This is what the devoted workers of America’s auto industry believe and that is why they came out to support HR 2729 in St. Louis.

- Dr. Gabriela D. Lemus, Executive Director, LCLAA