ADVANCED ENERGY TR HNOl.OGIES 



COMMITTEE INITIATIVE ON AUTOMOTIVE BILL 



925 



The legislation established within ERDA a 5-year R. & D. pro- 

 gram on advanced automotive propulsion systems to supplement 

 current R. & D. in private industry and Federal agencies. The House 

 bill authorized $20 million a year for the purpose. Brown, who 

 emerged as the principal sponsor of the legislation, remarked to the 

 subcommittee during the markup session: 



What we are doing is recognizing that the market doesn't work effectively when 

 it comes to planning for something that will be needed fifteen to twenty years down 

 the road. As the custodians of the public welfare for a much longer period of time 

 than the automotive companies are, it is our responsibility to supplement and to 

 help provide the guidance and direction for that research, and that's the whole 

 function of this bill. 



Brown noted that the automobile industry when it looked to the future 

 inevitably looked at its investment in the internal combustion engine, 

 while it was up to the Congress to look at the situation when we won't 

 be able to use internal combustion engines. 



The role of Federal agencies and laboratories in automotive 

 R. & D. stimulated vigorous debate within the committee. Mosher 

 cited "the superb competence of NASA's Lewis Research Center at 

 Cleveland, for R. & D. in all forms of propulsion." Brown and Gold- 

 water similarly praised JPL's automotive work, although Goldwater 

 was apprehensive of substituting Government-run, owned and opera- 

 ted facilities for the private sector. The committee felt that ERDA 

 had a more imaginative attitude toward R. & D. and technology 

 development than DOT, hence the bill restricted DOT's role to vehicle 

 safety. Despite the fact that Goldwater offered 11 critical amendments 

 which were adopted by the subcommittee, he still opposed the bill. 

 Goldwater told the House on June 3: 



The bill has been materially reshaped by the 11 amendments I offered which 

 were adopted.* * * My most severe objection to the bill is what it can become in 

 conference; and how the conference bill might circumvent the safeguards in my 

 amendments, which are now in the House bill. 



He was basically concerned that the legislation might induce unfair 

 Federal competition with the research currently being conducted by 

 the automobile companies. Despite very patient consideration of 

 Goldwater's views, including extensive colloquies during the House 

 debate in which Brown, McCormack and Mosher reassured Gold- 

 water on the safeguards included in the bill, when the roll was called 

 Goldwater lined up with the opponents of the legislation. The House 

 vote on June 3 was 298-86. Esch and Jarman were the only other 

 committee members who voted against the bill. 





