(Washington DC) It isn't easy or cheap going green - which is why Congress wants to help the still-struggling auto industry.  The "Detroit News" says the House has opened debate on a plan aimed at boosting government funding for green vehicle initiatives. As currently written, the bill would give the Big Three nearly three billion dollars over five years to develop advanced technology vehicles and components. The author of the legislation - Democratic Representative Gary Peters - says it's all about jobs.

Peters says, "There is intense global competition right now to determine which countries will produce the cars and trucks of the future." He says the question is whether those technologies will be developed and manufactured in the United States "creating American jobs."

Advanced technologies would include hydrogen fuel cells, new batteries and electrical storage devices. The bill is meeting some resistance from Republicans, who say the government has already given billions to the auto industry.