Get rid of your clunker

By Rachel Tanis


Finally it will pay off in a big way to do something good for the environment! Get rid of your old junky car that burns through the gas and oil and replace it with a newer more fuel-efficient and environmentally-friendly car and the government will reward you with cold hard cash!

Yesterday (Tuesday, May 5th, 2009), the Democrats in Congress and President Obama agreed on a new proposal affectionately called “cash-for-clunkers.” Under the program, which encourages car owners to trade in their older model gas-guzzlers for more fuel-efficient cars, consumers could get as much as $4,500 toward the purchase of a new vehicle. There is a slight catch: you must be upgrading your vehicle’s fuel economy by an average of ten miles per gallon, and your current vehicle must get less than eighteen miles per gallon (average for city/highway). For many college students or recent graduates driving hand-me-downs or road-side specials, meeting such an obligation might not be so hard. Lawmakers believe that they will be able to help out the auto industry with the sale of at least one million new cars as a result of the bill, making it a rare win-win for both the automakers and the environment.

It is important to support legislation and changes that were created in new, thoughtful and creative ways that support both domestic manufacturing and environmental causes. And what could be better than getting to see some green for going green?

For more on the deal check out the Wall Street Journal news article.