WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity launched a national advertising campaign today holding major automakers accountable for Americans’ struggle to afford high gas prices.
“We need to put the blame for this unaffordable economy where it belongs. Automakers have the technology that could help America break the cycle of oil price shocks,” said Dan Becker, director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Safe Climate Transport Campaign. “This is auto mechanics, not rocket science. Automakers can build and sell affordable EVs in other countries, but they’re just not building them for us. Adding injury to insult, car companies lobbied to kill tailpipe pollution and fuel economy standards, so families will keep paying the price at the pump and with our health.”
The ad campaign starts running today across digital, broadcast and print outlets, including the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times.
Targeting automakers and policymakers, the ads make clear that these skyrocketing oil prices were predictable. It notes that affordable electric vehicles are readily available in other countries, and that the industry has chosen delay and lobbying to weaken U.S. consumer and environmental protections.
In March crude oil hit a wartime peak of $126 per barrel and retail gas prices increased nearly 50% above pre-war figures. The impact on Americans has spread well beyond the pump, driving up grocery costs, commuting expenses and inflation across the board.
The ads point out that automakers lobbied against clean air and fuel efficiency standards designed to protect consumers from exactly this kind of shock, while killing EV production plans worth $65 billion. Yet, they continue to sell affordable EVs in other global markets while withholding them from American consumers.
“The biggest single step to saving money at the pump and reducing pollution from our tailpipes is switching from gas guzzlers to EVs,” said Becker. “Families can’t afford to wait any longer. Affordable EVs will bring energy security, healthier communities, cleaner air and lower costs for working families. Americans deserve a stable economy that’s independent of a fuel source we don’t control.”
The ads are available to view on Youtube here and here. The ads are also available to download here and here.
