Cash For Clunkers

We Americans love our cars. Currently, there are about 250 million vehicles on the road. Efforts to get people off the roads and using public transportation are well-intended but have had limited success, especially in rural areas. An effort now underway would reward car owners for turning in their gas-guzzling jalopies. In exchange, they’d get vouchers good toward public transit or a newer-model hybrid – reducing gas consumption and CO2 emissions. The “cash for clunkers” bill was introduced to Congress in January, and proponents hope it’ll be folded into the next energy bill. To help us better understand this proposal, we’re joined by one of its chief architects, Jack D. Hidary, who chairs the group SmartTransportation.org.

MSNBC: "Congress considers ‘cash for clunkers’ proposal"

The New York Times: "U.S. Cash for Clunkers? Not Yet"

Good Magazine: "Cash for clunkers"

(Photo courtesy England via Flickr/Creative Commons)