[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 68 (Friday, May 14, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E866]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              HYBRID CARS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 13, 2004

  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, rising global temperatures. Dangerously 
polluted air. A hamstrung foreign policy. Our dependence on fossil 
fuels contributes to countless problems, and California is on the 
frontline of many of them.
  The first step out of this morass may be hybrid cars. With double the 
gas mileage of standard cars and far lower tailpipe emissions, they 
could dramatically reduce our unsustainable levels of energy 
consumption. I believe we should do everything possible to encourage 
hybrid use, which is why I support recent efforts to let hybrid drivers 
use the carpool lane regardless of the number of passengers in the car. 
A pending bill in the California legislature institutes a pilot program 
along these lines: 70,000 permits for hybrid users to access the lane, 
with a review of the program once 50,000 permits have been distributed.
  Federal law currently prohibits such a program, but the 
transportation bill working its way through Congress removes this ban 
and allows local jurisdictions to decide the issue for themselves. I 
support this change as a sensible and flexible way to encourage hybrid 
use. In fact, the House version of the bill originally required that 
hybrids be charged a toll to use the lane, a provision I considered 
unnecessary and heavy-handed. I proposed an amendment to remove this 
requirement, and guided this amendment to House passage.
  The strongest criticism of this proposed change is that it will lead 
to overcrowded carpool lanes. We should take this concern seriously, 
since the carpool lane was created as much to relieve traffic 
congestion as to improve air quality. But there are a number of reasons 
to think this problem will not materialize or will be manageable if it 
does.
  First, hybrids account for less than one half of one percent of new 
cars sold today. While it is true that car makers will soon be 
expanding their hybrid product lines considerably, it is estimated that 
hybrid cars will still amount to less than five percent of new car 
sales by 2013. Many of these cars will be hybrid sport utility vehicles 
that will not meet the Federal transportation bill's strict fuel 
efficiency standard for access to the carpool lane.
  For that matter, Caltrans has estimated that carpool lanes around the 
state are at two-thirds of their maximum capacity. There is room for 
adding hybrid cars.
  Of course, the goal is to encourage widespread adoption of hybrid 
technology. In some sense, we should hope that the lane will become 
more crowded, because it will be a sign that the incentive is working. 
That is why a flexible solution is essential. Local jurisdictions 
should monitor their own carpool lanes and impose restrictions as 
needed. The California bill perfectly embodies this approach: rather 
than diving in head first, the proposed program tests the waters with a 
limited number of permits.
  Some have argued that once the lane is open to hybrid drivers they 
will not submit to new restrictions, even if a crowded carpool lane 
makes such restrictions necessary. This naturally assumes that access 
to a clogged carpool lane is worth fighting for. More important, it 
suggests an approach to governing that would limit us from trying new 
ideas; we must not avoid taking action for fear of our own success.
  Allowing hybrids in the carpool lane is a bipartisan, problem-solving 
move toward cleaner air, and it will cost taxpayers little or nothing 
to implement. We should proceed forward in a cautious way, 
understanding that other goals are at stake but that freeing ourselves 
from the straightjacket of fossil fuels is worth the effort.

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