US presidential candidate John McCain will push car makers to build more environmentally friendly vehicles, threatening new legislation if they do not comply and proposing tax breaks to encourage consumers to buy "cleaner" cars.
According to excerpts of his speech obtained by Reuters, the Republican candidate will call for manufacturers to speed up the process of making engines that can use alcohol-based fuels.
"Whether it takes a meeting with automakers during my first month in office, or my signature on an act of Congress, we will meet the goal of a swift conversion of American vehicles away from oil," he will say today.
The Arizona senator who has wrapped up his party's White House nomination, will also propose tax incentives to prod Americans to buy vehicles that produce less pollution.
"For every automaker who can sell a zero-emissions car, we will commit a $5,000 tax credit for each and every customer who buys that car," he will say.
"For other vehicles, whatever type they may be, the lower the carbon emissions, the higher the tax credit."
McCain will say that the existing financial penalties levied on car makers for not complying with fuel efficiency standards - known as US Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) - are too low.
His speech, set to be given in Fresno, California, is his latest outlining a series of proposals to reduce US dependence on foreign oil and fight global warming.
High petrol prices have put energy issues in the spotlight of the presidential campaign. Democrat Barack Obama, McCain's rival in the November election, laid out a plan on yesterday to crack down on speculation in oil markets.
