Leaders of the three big U.S. automakers are visiting with lawmakers on Thursday, hoping to build support in Congress on issues including energy policies and competitiveness. Rick Wagoner of General Motors Corporation (GM), Bill Ford of Ford Motor Company, and Tom LaSorda of Chrysler Group are holding a series of closed-door meetings with congressional leaders. Auto industry officials said the meetings would focus on energy issues such as making ethanol fuels more widely available, the need for more alternative fuel vehicles, trade issues, and the industry's challenges in meeting rising health-care costs for workers. U.S. automakers have increased production of flexible-fuel vehicles, capable of running on gasoline and fuel blends of up to 85 percent ethanol. But one obstacle is finding service stations that offer ethanol. Industry officials estimate that about 685 of the 165,000 fueling stations across the country offer ethanol blends, less than 1 percent of the total. The auto executives plan to meet next month with President George W. Bush to talk about issues affecting the industry. A White House meeting originally planned for Thursday was postponed because Bush is traveling to Arizona to discuss immigration reforms and border security. With many Americans paying over $3 a gallon (3.8 liters) for gasoline, Bush has sought an increase in the availability of ethanol and alternative fuels, more research for hybrid vehicle batteries, and elimination of the cap on tax credits for the purchase of hybrid vehicles. The Bush administration also has asked Congress to provide the authority to change fuel-economy rules for passenger cars, a move that could lead to higher gas-mileage requirements. The meeting with lawmakers comes at a difficult time for the domestic automakers. GM and Ford are executing major restructuring plans that would cut a combined 60,000 jobs and close about 25 plants by 2012.
