Automobiles

The Senate approved a plan late Thursday that would make it easier for lawmakers and staff to drive plug-in electric vehicles to work.

The bill, which passed unanimously, authorizes the Architect of the Capitol to install battery recharging stations in parking areas under Senate control in the Capitol complex.

Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), an ally of Detroit automakers, hailed the bill Thursday as a way to help promote vehicles that “offer great potential in meeting our goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

Your morning transportation speed-read:

A closed airport in Michigan is auctioning its equipment.

A judge ruled auto dealerships have to inform buyers of their credit status before they charge them higher interest rates.

Italian automaker Fiat, which now owns Chrysler, might build Mazdas at its plants soon.

A disputed subway tunnel in Beverly Hills, Calif., has been approved for construction.

Global carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels hit record levels in 2011, according to the International Energy Agency, which warned Thursday that the window to prevent temperature increases above 2 degrees Celsius is closing fast.

The Paris-based IEA released a preliminary estimate Thursday showing that global emissions from burning fossil fuels reached 31.6 gigatons (Gt) last year, a 3.2 percent increase over 2010.

The data show that emissions from China and India jumped, while they fell slightly in the United States and the European Union.

The IEA warns that global emissions need to peak soon to stand a decent chance of limiting the eventual average global temperature rise to 2 degrees C above pre-industrial levels, the threshold that many scientists and advocates say is needed to avert the most dangerous climatic changes.

Your morning transportation speed-read:

The French citizen who allegedly threatened to have a bomb onboard a U.S. Airways plane that was diverted to Maine will not be charged, but she will be sent home.

Southwest Airlines will pay $100 million for improvements to Houston's Hobby Airport so it can fly international routes from there.

Southwest will lease 717 airplanes that have been used by AirTran Airways to Delta Airlines after its merger with AirTrain is complete.

Analysts are predicting auto sales in the United States will increase 30 percent this month.

The lobbying group for automobile dealerships is contesting a claim by a consumer group that higher fuel standards for cars will lead to happy drivers.

Instead, the McLean, Va.-based National Automobile Dealers Association said Wednesday the Obama administration's proposed fuel economy standard of 54.5 miles per gallon will lead to less drivers because few people will be able to afford cars.

"If you increase the price of a car, fewer people are going to be able to qualify for a loan. It's a simple as that," NADA spokesman Bailey Wood told The Hill Wednesday.

Outgoing Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) said Tuesday that the Keystone XL pipeline approval mandate that is currently being debated by a conference committee on a proposed multi-year surface transportation bill will lead to higher prices if it becomes law.

Kucinich, who was ousted in a primary in March by Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), said a study released by the Natural Resources Defense Council showed the Keystone approval would increase the amount the U.S. has to spend on gasoline by $4 billion by "limiting the supply of Canadian crude to Midwest refineries and rerouting it to Gulf Coast refineries.

"A foreign-owned oil company is playing us for fools," Kucinich said in a statement released by his office. "In order to convince Americans to accept a pipeline that will result in higher gas prices, we have been bombarded with a public relations campaign to convince us that the pipeline is a good idea. It may be a good idea to foreign investors, but the Keystone XL pipeline is a bad idea for American consumers, a bad idea for America’s fledgling economy, a bad idea for our health and a bad idea for our environment." 

Ford got a ratings boost and its blue oval logo out of hock on Tuesday. 

Moody's Investors Service raised Ford's debt to investment-grade for the first time since 2005, which was shortly before the auto company used assets, and the logo, as collateral for a $23.5 billion restructuring loan.

"The key factor in our considering an investment-grade rating for Ford was whether or not the company would be able to sustain its strong performance," said Bruce Clark, senior vice president with Moody's.

"We concluded that the improvements Ford has made are likely to be lasting," Clark said. 

The Obama administration's proposed fuel economy standard of 54.5 miles per gallon is popular with drivers, a consumer group said Tuesday.

Some Republicans have questioned the development of the proposal, which calls for increasing fuel standards for vehicles after model year 2017 until a fleet-wide average standard of 54.5 miles per gallon is reached by 2025. They argue that the rules were developed in secret and will limit consumers' choices in automobile purchases.

But the Washington, D.C., Consumer Federation of America said Tuesday that there were at least 10 reasons for drivers to be in favor of the new emission rules. 

“What’s not to like?” CFA Director of Research Mark Cooper said in a statement about the list. “Better gas mileage means more money in Americans’ pockets. 

Detroit automaker Chrysler is recalling nearly 68,000 of its Jeep Wrangler sport utility vehicles, according to a report filed with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

Model year 2010 versions of the vehicle caught fire in testing when its transmission skid plate caught fire, the NHTSA said.

Chrysler said it will replace the part free of charge for owners who call its hotline at 1-800-853-1403.

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Mitt Romney's campaign on Thursday released a new Web video critical of Vice President Biden's assertion that most non-union autoworkers "did fine" in the aftermath of the auto bailout.

Some non-union autoworkers employed by parts manufacturer Delphi are suing over lost benefits resulting from the auto bailout and subsequent restructuring of General Motors. In the ad, former Delphi employees say the administration picked "winners and losers in the automotive bailout" and appeared to have "disdain" for non-union workers.

A voiceover says, "As GM and Chrysler went through bankruptcy, employees of major auto supplier Delphi saw their pensions slashed. Vice President Joe Biden said ‘most did fine.’ They don’t agree.”