Out of Control?:Senate Proposes Horsepower Limits to Force Gas Saving in U.S.

What could be more unamerican than this? From muscle cars to horsepower limits...

I agree. If I want a car that gets 8 MPG then so be it. The government doesn't pay for my gas, I do. What the Senate should do is relax the emissions standards especially on diesel cars if they want more fuel savings. Many of the diesel cars in Europe don't make it over here because the emissions standards are so strict for them.

Maybe Americans should start paying Euro fuel prices! That'd soon persuade them to scale down their vehicles!

That probably would work better to naturally curtail it.

Maybe manually shifting cogs should be illegal too. Government issue GM 4-speed for all! how about standard issue Ford Vulcan V-6s across the board as well.

I'm not opposed to a version of it. There should be some sort of mandatory ratio of HP to MPG to avoid a tweaked guzzler tax. For instance, if your S4 gets 15/21mpg when an A4 can get 34/25, then you should probably be taxed in the amount it takes the efficiency balance to be "carbon neutralized." By the way, that's where all the money collected should go, to offsetting the environmental impact. If someone wants a 500hp car don't make it illegal, just make them responsible for the unnecessary CO2 impact. Now to apply this for different mileages...

I'm happy with my 17mpg S4, thank you. I wouldn't ever trade it for an A4.

Agreed. If it meets the MPG then who cares how it is done. (I'll bet you'll get an eyeful of LS hybrids at next year's Oscars)

Not hybrids, not soon anyway, but the points is taken. They should observe the emission, not the hp.

Next thing you know, all cars will be electronically limited with a 65MPH speed limit. By these senators logic, why not outlaw private boats and aircraft too? No one needs these items. Let's hope the insanity stops now.

Instead of the current bill they should offer tax incentives for anyone who buys a vehicle with a 35 average MPG. If they are really serious they should have the tax incentives set at very high rates.

I agree with one of the previous posters that said a better way would be to just jack up gas taxes and make gas prices here like those in Europe, over $4.00 a gallon. This will naturally stimulate demand for higher MPG vehicles.

Our economy is too dependent on cheap gas. Jacking up price will send our ecnonomy into a tail spin. Thats why the goverment is going after car companies and not oil companies.

If they apply this standard, it better apply to car and trucks/suv's. Right now the gas guzzler tax applies only to cars, and not trucks and SUV's. In my opinion this is total BS!

Especially because trucks and suv's get the worst mpg, with the worse emissions. I won't be able to understand why someone would buy a pickup truck with a huge engine but never use it in something like construction materials, tow heavy stuff, move furniture etc. I mean, how much furniture do you care in a lifetime? How many time do you move, anyway? I am only saying this because I see truck with just 2/3 front seats, huge engine and an empty trunk. Hey, if you waste that much gas, at least carry something with your truck.

Only in U.S.

Yes that is right, only in the US and it is not a bad thing!

tax the hell out of gas. That's a much better economic solution, and people don't feel forced to buy weaker cars, they can still choose, but they pay the price in gas tax. make it 5 dollars a gallon, same as in Britian. And tax cars based on emissions, again, like they do in Britian.

How can you consider taxing gas as an economic solution? We pay the same amount for a barrell of gas that any other country who buys on the free market. Why should we be subject to paying more taxes, just becuase the EU does it? Thats a poor excuse because EU's economy works well around the need for cheap gas because of the presence of small cities with lots of public transportation.

The goal of the US Fed, is too keep infaltion under control and as we saw post - Katrina once gas goes up, so does everything else, people get panicky and stop spending. Once the consumers stop spending, the result affects everyone. The only ones who did great that year were oil companies. They had record profits, ExxonMobil had profits of over 100 billion and BP even got a good chunk of money.

I do agree there is a problem with our addiction to oil, but the answer is not in taxing gas, we are going to need gas no matter what we drive. The solution is in engineering better cars, plain and simple.

I see the socialist euro's are contributing heavily on this one. Tax Tax Tax Tax!!!! That is all Europe is about. Look we here in Capitalist Land buy what we want and have the freedom to choose. In europe their high gas prices have crippled their economies and you are on your way to bread lines and rations!! This will never fly and I see that it was proposed by the Demmy's. Just one more thing they want to do to try and make us move more towards socialism.

This has nothing to do with limiting horse power, global warming, etc.... This has to do with imposing restrictions and taking more taxpayers money for social programs!!!!

Once again I will state that liberals kill people with their programs and regulations. This proposed horsepower limit would hamper a car and certainly end up killing people who tried to pull out into traffic, etc...!!!

Finally a true capitalist comrade.

"This will never fly and I see that it was proposed by the Demmy's. Just one more thing they want to do to try and make us move more towards socialism."

Support is just as effective as proposal.

""I sense a lot of reluctance and foot-dragging," said Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, during a recent hearing."

they should change the emissions to allow bluetec cars and most clean diesels, and apply gas guzzler tax to consumer trucks.

THIS PLAIN AND SIMPLY SUCKS!

You can the manufacturers, but you can never limit the aftermarket (legally or illegally). Why not put restrictions on everything that people like to do, that would make the people happy.

You know what this means - used car values are going to go up.

Amen ! Finally somebody who understands what this nation is all about. Taxing gas is a flat tax that will affect the poor far more then the rich. American cities do not have alterantives to auto transport like the cities in Europe. We already have gas guzzler tax. I frankly believe that this change must come from the people, whereby we use smarter cars, that are more fuel efficient, rather that living by Bureaucrat Mandate from Capitol Hill...

Please keep your tax and expensive GAS in Europe. They subsidize diesel beacause it is used by the transportation industry. Frankly , Europe goes for a socuialist solution because that best meets its needs. ( or at least it thinks it does) . With most Eurpoean economies in the toilet one doesent feel the need to emulate them.

EvoAudi???? Tax Commercial Trucks. We don't want diesels here. I don't want to have to plug my car in and keep it running when it is cold in the winter.

All taxing commercial trucks would do is cripple the economy by rasing the price of good and thus killing poor people in the process.

I don't know why liberals and socialist are always looking for a hand out. Go make a living do some hard work not trying to impose more tax on someone and essentially stealing their money. Do I need to post the history of the world again?? Ok I will!!

World History - As it Really Was

Humans originally existed as members of small bands of nomadic hunters/gatherers. They lived on deer in the mountains during the summer and would go to the coast and live on fish and lobster in the winter.
The two most important events in all of history were the invention of beer and the invention of the wheel. The wheel was invented to get man to the beer. These were the foundation of modern civilization and together were the catalyst for the splitting of humanity into two distinct subgroups:
1. Liberals
2. Conservatives
Once beer was discovered, it required grain and that was the beginning of agriculture. Neither the glass bottle nor aluminum can were invented yet, so while our early humans were sitting around waiting for them to be invented, they just stayed close to the brewery.
*_That's how villages were formed._*
Some men spent their days tracking and killing animals to B-B-Q at night while they were drinking beer. This was the beginning of what is
*_known as the Conservative movement_*.
Other men who were weaker and less skilled at hunting learned to live off the conservatives by showing up for the nightly B-B-Q's and doing the sewing, fetching, and hair dressing.
*_This was the beginning of the Liberal movement._*
Some of these liberal men eventually evolved into women.
*_The rest became known as girliemen_*.
Some noteworthy liberal achievements include the domestication of cats, the invention of group therapy, group hugs, and the concept of Democratic voting to decide how to divide the meat and beer that conservatives provided.
Over the years conservatives came to be symbolized by the largest, most powerful land animal on earth, the elephant. Liberals are symbolized by the jackass.
Modern liberals like imported beer (with lime added), but most prefer white wine or imported bottled water. They eat raw fish but like their beef well done. Sushi, tofu, and French food are standard liberal fare.
Another interesting evolutionary side note: most of their women have higher testosterone levels than their men.
Most social workers, personal injury attorneys, journalists, dreamers in Hollywood and group therapists are liberals.
Liberals invented the designated hitter rule because it wasn't fair to make the pitcher also bat.
Conservatives drink domestic beer. They eat red meat and still provide for their women. Conservatives are big-game hunters, rodeo cowboys, lumberjacks, construction workers, firemen, medical doctors, police officers, corporate executives, athletes, Marines, and generally anyone who works productively. Conservatives who own companies hire other conservatives who want to work for a living.
Liberals produce little or nothing. They like to govern the producers and decide what to do with the production. Liberals believe Europeans are more enlightened than Americans. That is why most of the liberals remained in Europe when conservatives were coming to America. They crept in after t

The rest

They crept in after the Wild West was tamed and created a business of trying to get more for nothing.

Here ends today's lesson in world history: It should be noted that a Liberal may have a momentary urge to angrily respond to the above before forwarding it. A Conservative will simply laugh and be so convinced of the absolute truth of this history that it will be forwarded immediately to other true believers and to more liberals just to piss them off.

Good one jasongoudie! These politicians are Definatly a bunch of morons! I can understand upping the MPG to 35 but why limit HP? That is technology? There is no reason for auto companies to improve if that is all that they can work with! In other words if you can get 1000.hp and still get 35mpg why not! Technology is advancing then! Think outside of the box!

Now do you see my point. Raising tax and regulating people is wrong and a very liberal idea!!

VIVA LA Horse Power!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"If you are a liberal before your 30 you have no heart, a liberal after 30 you have no brain"

I always that was funny.

I believe it kind of goes like this buddy:

If you are a conservative when you are young then you have no heart. If you are a liberal when you are old then you have no brains.

wait where did you quote that from?

Technically it is, if your not a democratic before your 30 you have no heart, if your not a republican after your 30, you have no brain. Buddy.

I have always heard it:

"If you are young and not a liberal: you have not heart. If you are old and not a conservative: you have no money."

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

Not the way to go. #1 easiest way to reduce fuel consumption: place a gas guzzler tax on SUVs and pickups. We can't have 8 million of these 14 mpg guzzlers be sold each year and given a free pass.

#2 Diesels are coming with easy 30% increase in fuel economy.

The bill that was proposed asks for gasoline consumption to be reduced (25 mpg average to 35 mpg average) by whatever means necessary (e.g. through use of alternative fuel sources, etc.). It does not require a reduction in power.

Here's a link: http://feinstein.senate.gov/07releases/r-teninten.htm

No it doesn't you idiot. Diesel is 10% denser, so yes it would take 10% more oil to make the same liquid amount of diesel. BUT you also get 10% more engergy. So it equals out. GET THAT!!!!!!!

Im not for this HP limit thing!! All for higher MPG though. I say TAX worthless SUV. All driven by soccer moms who have an image problem anyways. Raise the gas guzzler tax on SUV buyers. (unless the buyer has to use it for work of course)

I'll pay more tax ok? Forget about that bill....! I want more HORSEPOWER!

The Prius never achieved 67/71 even on the old lier EPA ratings.

Plus if you compare the 2006 Toyota Corolla and 2006 Jetta 1.9 TDI you will see that the Jetta uses 10.3 barrels of oil per year and the Corolla 10.4. When you look at the fuel economy ratings (allowing for the EPA rounding) you can see that diesel is 10% denser and thereofre has 10% more energy per a given volume (liter/gallon)

Plus in the past diesel was made from "lef over" oil after production of gasoline, almost making it free.

Nuff said chewy...thats rite chew into them..US have to get serious about saving on gas, and stop the lip service..Yes get more horsepower but yeah support more terrorists and leftis governments...The american consumer needs to wake up and see what their will to choose is creating...I say tax the SUVs and any gas guzzlers that makes more sense...ensure that if a poor man is willing to spend on a corolla he won't die at the pumps...

Those morons shouldn't limit horse power! Simply impose the average fuel mielage to there 35mpg and if a given auto company can squeeze 300hp out of it and still achieve 35-40mpg even better! I am still looking forward to those gas motors that work like a diesel, I forget there name but they run on the same high compressoion and improved fuel savings...

You people wanted the Democrat liberals and voted for them. Now you got them!

This is a bunch of politicians that can't think for themselves! The enviroment is definatly important and we all need to do our part, Europe does this by increasing inshurance rates for more horse power.How about just set the standard at 35pmg and have as many HP as you can get as long as it still gets 35mpg! Is that too tough to figure out! Would they limit HP on an electric car? They still get paid no matter how dumb they are!

Goddamn Dem's at it again. How many times do we have to tell them - STOP STEALING OUR MONEY AND TAKING AWAY OUR RIGHTS - LEAVE US ALONE!!!

I wish this is the most critical issue the country is facing- shame...
I would expect them to figure out a way to resolve the serious issues we face today:
1. IRAQ and the Security of this country.
2. Health Care system.
3. Education system
4. Future economic growth of the Country.

And what are they talking about- limiting HP on cars, how will this impact the country directly.
Shame,shame,shame..