Obama’s Move on Fuel Efficiency
Obama’s Move on Fuel Efficiency: A Sweet Win for Greens(TIME), originally uploaded by MashGet
40 MPG is celebrating today over Obama’s announcements he made during a news conference held this past Monday the 26th, 2009:
President Barack Obama is wasting no time in sending signals that he is serious about making the U.S. greener when it comes to automobiles. In a news conference yesterday, President Obama announced major steps towards reducing our dependence on foreign oil and lowering greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles.
He first ordered the U.S. Department of Transportation to establish rules by 2011 to raise fuel economy standards to 35 mpg by 2020, accelerating the standards signed in 2007. He also ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to review the denial of a waiver for California to set its own greenhouse gas emissions standards.
The California emissions battle, in particular, has been a long one but will have significant and lasting effects. As NPR points out:
“California’s proposed restrictions would force automakers to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent in new cars and light trucks by 2016.At least 13 other states - Arizona, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington - have already adopted California’s standards, and they have been under consideration elsewhere, too.”
TheCLEAN.org and Civil Society Institute (the parent organization of 40MPG.org) have been leaders in calling for Washington to get out of the way and let the states regulate auto emissions. So, we are delighted to see progress on greener autos being made to quickly into a new Administration’s term and it appear many others are as well …
Some Michigan residents however, are not so excited about the Obama proposal:
Whether for or against, you better be prepared for some winds of change blowing to a city near you!
