Will the Dems make a list of banned "Assault SUVs" just like they did with firearms?

J T

Only if the dirty mexicans demand it.

VAL

No. GM is going under because they keep manufacturing huge-***, crappy-mileage cars no one wants to buy...along with bad financial practices and management.

Don't blame the Democrats for that. Blame GM.

mrvadeboncoeur

The US Federal income tax credit for the purchase of a new Toyota hybrid began a phase-out beginning October 1, 2006. There has no longer been a federal tax credit for a Toyota hybrid (such as the Prius) since October 1, 2007.
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=162562,00.html

The hybrid vehicle tax credit was signed into law by President Bush as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. It had a sunset provision, such that the available tax credit would phase out within a year after the calendar quarter that an auto manufacturer sells 60,000 hybrid vehicles. Toyota was the first to reach that milestone, and Honda has hit it too. Ford looks to be next...

There's a lot of myth, urban legend, and misinformation out there on hybrid vehicle batteries and vehicle production, thanks to a flawed marketing paper by CNW and a poorly researched student newspaper article that keep getting quoted...

Anyhow, I suggest reading:
Hummer versus Prius: "Dust to Dust" Report Misleads the Media and Public with Bad Science: http://www.pacinst.org/topics/integrity_of_science/case_studies/hummer_versus_prius.html
Prius Versus Hummer: A Nickel for Your Thoughts: http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200711/mrgreen_mailbag.asp#headaches
"I read an article stating the Prius has a worse impact on the environment than a Hummer because of the enormous pollution created in making the car's batteries. True?" : http://www.straightdope.com/columns/080404.html

Usually the mythic "article" from The Mail on the nickel in the hybrid cars' NiMH batteries is quoted from a now retracted article. The retraction that clears up this bit of misinformation is at: http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=417227&in_page_id=1770
(They were using data from the early 1970's about the INCO-Sudbury nickel mine, which was more than 20 years before the first hybrids needed NiMH batteries, and the plant has greatly cleaned themselves up and reforested the area since then. If you were to add up the amount of nickel in the million+ hybrids sold since 1997, the total is still less than 1% of the world's annual nickel production (far more nickel is used for stainless steel, for example).)

But yes, any petroleum-using vehicle does contribute to global warming (CO2, methane, etc.) emissions, the Toyota Prius included, but since the Prius is the most fuel-efficient vehicle available in the US http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/best/bestworstNF.shtml , it just pollutes less than other vehicles.

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