Almost daily Corner bashing: Planet Gore edition

Marlo Lewis is the global warming denier most likely to write something with the knowledge that, if it sounds technical and authoritative, people might very well not ask questions about it or any other part of his oeuvre. He's also one of the most likely to be dead wrong, and hysterical, too.

The Dingell-Boucher provisions [allowing American auto manufacturers to keep existing, weak fuel efficiency standards] would not only protect the auto industry by keeping the authority to regulate fuel economy in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and out of the hands of EPA and the State of California; it would also forestall, perhaps indefinitely, any EPA rule making to establish national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases — a regulatory Pandora's Box with potential to bring the U.S. economy to its knees.

Ok, off the bat we're dealing with somebody who says NAAQSs are bad things, so we ought to be prepared for a hefty dose of madness. But still! "Economy to its knees?" We're not talking about outlawing cars here! We're talking about provisions that might temporarily steer consumers towards foreign (and smaller domestic) cars and cost American companies some (more) money while they update their fleets. It might also completely rescue the auto industry. That is to say, if the industry survives the transition, it will become more (not less) competitive and that is a state of affairs companies like GM desperately need.

And, even if we assume the worst case scenario--that every U.S. auto company folds as a result of higher fuel efficiency standards--then, yes, we'd expect some bad attendant consequences for the U.S. economy (a different topic, also good for Corner bashing), but nothing nearly as apocalyptic as "bringing the U.S. economy to its knees."