Whatever else you might have to say about the people who brought us the gas-guzzler, you can’t accuse them of not being organized: As the Beltway battle over whether to toughen fuel-economy standards heats up, General Motors has ratcheted up its offense, calling on suppliers to ask their senators to oppose stricter rules. In a Feb. 4 note to its suppliers, GM went so far as to include a form letter asking senators not to tighten Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards. A GM spokesperson acknowledged the action and said the company has also been urging its dealers and employees to speak out against tougher CAFE standards, but denied claims by environmentalists that the requests amount to coercing political support in exchange for ongoing financial relations.
