A! RONAI -I'll S AND fRANSPORTATION 



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authorization for this purpose. As Gold water said on the House floor 

 on March 26, 1979: 



While, unfortunately, the other body did not sec fit to act on this legislation, the 

 Committee on Appropriations has followed the recommendations ol the authoriza- 

 tion bills. In addition, the accompanying reports have had a most positive effect on 

 the Agency itself. 



AUTOMOTIVE R. & D. 



Once the authorization hearings had been completed, the Harkin 

 subcommittee began concentrating more of its work on developing 

 alternatives to the automobiles which consumed such a high propor- 

 tion of the Nation's energy. In a May 11, 1979 letter to his congres- 

 sional colleagues, Harkin explained: 



As many of you know, I have called for an aggressive, well-coordinated national 

 program of automotive R. & D. To help define such a program, the subcommittee is 

 currently holding extensive hearings on future technology options as well as possible 

 Government roles. 



In the Department of Energy authorization bill, the Harkin sub- 

 committee added $8 million to expand the electric vehicle program. 

 In addition, $12 million was added for the heat engine program, to 

 develop and demonstrate advanced automotive propulsion systems 

 (gas, turbine, and Stirling). The full committee approved both 

 increases. 



Continuing the hearings in June and July 1979, Harkin sum- 

 marized his current thinking on the issue in a July 12 letter to his 

 fellow-Members of the House: 



Detroit's research facilities are stretched to the limit in trying to meet the various 

 near-term fuel economy and pollution goals. Nevertheless, the country desperately 

 needs new solutions, as anyone who has bought gasoline recently can plainly see. 



Current Government policy tries to force innovation in the auto industry through 

 regulation. But this approach, while successful in the short run, has excluded all but 

 the wealthiest companies, since no one else can afford the R. & D. costs. It has also 

 resulted in very few really new ideas. 



For the future, I believe the Government should emphasize "technology pull" 

 as in the highly successful NASA/civil aircraft industry relationship. This means a 

 federally-sponsored, industry-conducted program of automotive R. & D., the results 

 of which would be available to all U.S. firms. 



Harkin then introduced the National Automotive Research and 

 Technology Development Act of 1979, establishing within NASA a 

 long-term program to advance the state of automotive technology. 

 The plan involved transferring existing automotive R. & D. programs 

 (mainly those at DOE) during a two-year transition period. First 

 year funding was planned to be $25 million, to rise to $500 million 

 within live years. 



