Environmental Quality Is Job One

A new TV and radio advertising campaign by the Sierra Club calls on the automobile industry to cut its oil use as an act of patriotism -- and singles out Ford Motor Company CEO William Clay Ford, Jr., to lead the way. The great-grandson of Henry Ford, William Ford used to be seen as an auto industry iconoclast, conversant on climate change and critical of profligate oil use. But since taking the helm of the family company last fall, Ford has changed his tune -- or at least muted it, critics say. That's why the Sierra Club chose to target Ford in the ad campaign, which features former Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey (D) and retired Vice Admiral Jack Shanahan urging consumers to demand fuel-efficient cars from their local dealers. One of the ads asks Ford "to do his part and to produce more fuel-efficient cars, SUVs, and pickup trucks." Some people have criticized the Sierra Club for taking on a comparative ally; General Motors and DaimlerChrysler, for example, are more entrenched opponents of efforts to boost fuel economy. The ads will be rolled out in a dozen states, but so far, no radio stations in Detroit have agreed to run them.