Red-faced over idea for vehicle

Political support for better fuel economy apparently goes only so far these days.

A Bush administration official apologized this week for a newsletter sent to thousands of government employees that encouraged them to consider fuel-efficient vehicles built by Japanese automakers.

“I deeply regret that our newsletter offended anyone, especially those Americans working in the automobile industry and the millions of people who make American automobile manufacturers successful,” said Joe Ellis, an assistant secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Some U.S. automakers and the Michigan congressional delegation have complained about an Aug. 17 e-mail sent by the agency to its 67,000 employees asking them to consider a list of a dozen “green” cars -- none built by Detroit-based companies.

All of the cars on the list from the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy were made by Japanese or South Korean firms.

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) said, “HHS officials should focus upon their mission of ensuring food and drugs are safe . . . rather than issuing inaccurate advice that appears to endorse foreign-made products.”