May 21 2009
Obama Announces New Auto Emissions Standards
President Obama announced earlier this week a new set of auto efficiency standards designed to improve fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a target date of 2016. According to the new guidelines, standards will be set for each individual class of car and company, thereby avoiding the maneuvering that manufacturers have resorted to in making some cars more efficient while leaving cars like SUVs as gas guzzlers. Cars will be required to achieve an average of 39 miles per gallon, by 2016, still less than the 45-55 miles per gallon that existing hybrid cars can achieve today. Trucks will be expected to perform at at least 30 miles per gallon in 7 years. During the Bush years auto efficiency standards took a back seat, leading the state of California to seek a waiver from the federal government in order to set its own, more stringent rules on greenhouse gas auto emissions. Obama’s new standards are geared to resolve the dispute between this state and the White House.
GUEST: Tyson Slocum, Research Director at Public Citizens Energy Program
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