The national spotlight is dominated today with the debate over how much control should the government have in an individual’s life. With this in mind the question is asked, should the government be allowed to dictate the quality of gasoline that individuals use in their vehicles? Unbeknownst to consumers the Environmental Protection Agency recently approved the sale of E15 gasoline which contains harmfully high levels of ethanol. John Tomlin states, a “recent survey showed that a majority of consumers (95 percent) had not heard of E15 gasoline or the damage it may cause” (1). Is it ethical for the government to make this determination without notifying the public? Merriam-Webster dictionary defines ethical behavior as, “following accepted …show more content…
John Tomlin states that, “sustained use of E15 gasoline could cause… fuel system damage and other problems” (1). Less than five percent of the cars being driven today have been approved to use this new fuel. This statistic means that approximately ninety-five percent of vehicles will end up experiencing fuel system damage. This damage will result in expensive repair bills for consumers. Fuel system damage in these vehicles could also result in unsafe conditions if the vehicles fail to start or if they stall out during operation. The likely cost and possible danger associated with fuel system damage and failure resulting from the use of E15 gasoline demonstrates government’s immoral behavior in promoting the use of this new fuel. Tom Taylor asserts that, “unsuspecting consumers using E15 could end up with engine problems that might not be covered by their vehicles’ warranties” (1). These consumers are not aware that the automotive industry is aware of these dangers and that they will not honor the warranties on these new vehicles if E15 gasoline has been used. Auto shoppers spend overwhelming amounts of money to buy vehicle warranties to protect their cars. The fact that consumers could be voiding their warranties by using this newly approved gasoline blend, which they have no knowledge about, is unthinkable. Taylor states that, “AAA President & CEO Robert Darbelnet say ‘Bringing E15 to the market without adequate safe guards does not responsibly meet the needs of
According to Singers(August 24,2017), ITEP’S (July, 2017), (July, 2017),(August 2011), and(December 2011), higher sales and gas tax in Connecticut have consequences and a solution proposed to reduce tax burden on low income family. Based on the readings and my understanding of this topic, I conclude that increasing sales and gas taxes in Connecticut to fix a budget crisis will be financially harmful to low income families and needs to be address with the new policy. Singer(August 24,2017), pointed out that, Connecticut legislators are deciding to increase the sales tax from its current level to 6.85 percent to fix a budget deficit, estimated to reach $3.5 billion in two years and improve state aid to towns. Based on Tax Foundation studies,
White’s main points relate to the automotive revolution. Environmentalists want car companies to determine how to make alternatives to the regular petroleum-fueled engine. White explains alternative methods that could persuade the automotive industry to go green, such as using ethanol or other biofuels to power one’s car (332). However, while explaining
She goes on to give us more evidence like “99.8 percent [of mined earth], now contaminated with toxic chemicals, is dumped back into the environment.” The potential buyers of these vehicles want to be as environmentally friendly as possible and those facts are likely to deter any eco-friendly buyer. No engine today is completely efficient with zero environmental drawbacks, but if you look at diesel engines in the sense of its total life as an on-road vehicle, it is easily the better choice for anyone looking to create a better future for our
Once upon a time Americans hopped into their cars on warm spring days and took long drives to admire the beauty of nature. Teenagers took joy rides around town to meet friends and rode from one “hot spot” to another. Those were the days when gas prices were affordable to the average American. Over the past few years, gas prices in the United States have been on the rise. What is causing the increase in gas prices?
In this essay, I will argue that Ford Motor Company’s business behavior was unethical as demonstrated in the Ford Pinto Case. Ford did not reveal all the facts to consumers about a harmful gas tank design in the Ford Pinto. They tried to justify their decision to sell an unsafe car by using a Cost-Benefit Analysis which determined it was cheaper to sell the cars without changing to a safer gas tank. The price of not fixing the gas tanks is human injuries and fatalities. By choosing not to make the Pinto a safer vehicle Ford placed a price on the head of every consumer. Ford’s primary concern was to maximize profits. Ford had a duty and ethical responsibility to customers to
The issue to be discussed in this paper is the moral rightness associated with utilizing gasoline and oil in the vehicles of tomorrow. Since the release of the Ford Model T in 1908, gasoline has been the primary source of fuel by which vehicles rely on to run. In 1908, the price of oil was about $18 per barrel2. The mode
As a result of EPA regulations, today’s diesel engines are more efficient than ever before seen in large and midsized trucks. Certain regulations restrict truck owners from using certain truck models, because of excess diesel emission. Increasing drastically as technology improves, cars and trucks produce less and less diesel exhausts and emissions. “But because diesel engines can operate for 30 years or more, millions of older, dirtier engines are still in use,” (Epa.Gov). Reducing exposure to diesel exhaust from these engines is especially important for the preservation of human health and the environment. According to the EPA, the United States Environmental Protection Agency,
Moreover, there are no new entrants to this industry in the U.S. because it is banned here, and other companies have geared their research and production in the area of biofuels and other less harmful additives. Despite all of the regulation, the bargaining power of the buyers are the motivation for those that seek to profit in this industry. The developing world’s economy is supported by their automobile industry and they are paying whatever price that they can to keep companies interested in this area of production. Developing countries do not have adequate resources to create alternative fuel sources. Therefore they are dependent on the lead additives in gasoline, in spite of all of the public health concerns that it raises. As a whole, the industry is very unattractive. The best thing for companies to do is to research alternative fuel methods and to invest in the biofuels market because this is the industry that is most promising currently, and will continue to be in the future.
In today’s society, everyone seems to be in a rush. Convenience trumps nearly anything and everything. The closest and the promptest option is the one we often lean toward, regardless of the consequence or cost. One of the biggest convenience items within the 21st Century is gasoline. Regardless of the price, we often purchase this item at the most suitable site and time, especially when we are in desperate need of the item. Gasoline companies are alert that convenience is ideal; therefore, they alter gas prices to obtain the greatest amount of business.
Cars, just about every household in America has probably at least two parked in their driveway at any given time. The dependency on the gas powered car has substantially increased since it’s invention and production back in 1908 by the Ford Motor Company. As of 2014, it was estimated that there were over 88 million cars produced world-wide and growing every day. (Fig. 1) Even though a lot of these vehicles might be the new Hybrid edition, the majority of them have a dependency on oil and gasoline products for their survival and existence. Petroleum products, such as oil and gasoline do not come cheap or even free to the consumer, even the
Ford was not in violation of the law in any way and had to make the decision whether to incur a cost to fix the obvious problem internally. There were several options for the fuel system redesign. The option most seriously considered would have cost Ford an additional $11 per vehicle. Under the strict $2000 budget restriction, even this nominal cost seemed large. In addition, Ford had earlier based an advertising campaign on safety, which failed miserably. Therefore, there was a corporate belief, attributed to Lee Iacocca himself, of “safety doesn’t sell”. (2)
Well we all know that the energy system is very unstable because the total energy available on the earth is limited, and man has exploited all the conventional technologies to fulfill his needs. By the use of these conventional technologies, the world also has a disability, with problems such as global warming. Consumption of energy by man increased gradually as his wants also increase. The conventional energy resources mainly include fossil fuels, but research shows that this fuel source will be depleted completely in approximately 20-25 years. This could cause major setbacks around the world. As a result, we need an alternative source of fuel that could keep the world running on its wheel. One possibility is ethanol. Chemically extract
On August 10, 1978 three young girls died in a 1973 Ford Pinto after being stuck from the rear by a driver in a van. The Ford Pinto was completely engulfed in flames and the accident resulted in the death of the three young girls. Today, the debate continues regarding whether or not The Ford Motor Company was responsible for this case and many other cases involving the Pinto bursting into flames resulting in disfigurement or death.
At some point in everyone’s lives, we are affected by the rising gas prices in today’s economy. Natural gas is not a renewable resource, since there is a fixed amount of it trapped in the Earth. However, many people carry the misconception that there is a very limited amount of natural gas, and that we may use all of it up. This isn’t true. The gas shortages of the 1970's were prompted by the government’s lack of faith in the industry’s ability to discover and develop new reserves, not by lack of gas supply. The unfortunate impression left by the shortages of gas in the 1970's caused the people to believe that there was a small amount of gas left. On the contrary, the gas resource base is vast, and probably even
“Any increases in the price of oil in the U.S. or in our other markets or any sustained shortage of oil, including as a result of political instability in the Middle East and African nations, could weaken the demand for such vehicles, which could reduce our market share in affected markets, decrease profitability, and have a material adverse effect on our business.” Page 26