The Big Question for Tuesday, Nov. 18: Is bailing out Detroit good policy or bad policy? (See all responses here.)

Rep. Earl Blumenauer’s (D-Ore.) response: The question of whether an additional bailout of the auto industry is good or bad policy depends entirely on how we provide assistance.

Giving the Big Three auto makers more funds to continue business as usual is probably not good policy nor is it a wise use of resources. I have long advocated investments that accomplish more than one objective. In the aftermath of 9/11, for example, I was disappointed that we gave money to the airlines without insisting that they use it to buy quieter, less-polluting aircraft. Today, we have the opportunity to use federal investments to not only help the auto industry respond to future needs, but to strengthen the economy and the environment in communities across America.

We could, for example, create fueling stations for the sorts of cars we need for the future: making sure that people with biofuel, compressed natural gas, and plug-in hybrids are able to get the energies they need for operation. We don’t yet have the infrastructure we need to make it easier to sell the products of tomorrow. Investing in such infrastructure would have a profound effect.

As the largest buyer of vehicles in the United States, the federal government could play an important role in shaping the auto market of future. If all federal departments and agencies were committed over the next three years to buy hyper fuel-efficient cars, plug-in hybrids, and flex-fuel or compressed natural gas vehicles, we could have a profound effect on the industry. This one requirement would provide a modern fleet for our operations, improve the efficiency of our departments, and reduce long-term operating costs.

We could also dedicate a portion of Detroit’s bail-out request to removing old, polluting cars from the road, trading “cash for clunkers.” This would improve the environment and help people who are probably paying too much to operate dirty, unsafe vehicles.

In short, we have a prime opportunity to stimulate a market, improve our own operations, and give people the incentive to upgrade their vehicle.

At a time of unprecedented economic stress, while we are struggling to protect the planet, reorient the long-term practices of auto industry, and change consumer habits, we can either provide a narrowly-defined knee-jerk reaction that has little or no effect, or a more thoughtful policy that will reap numerous benefits and get us where we want to go faster.