In a long-awaited decision, today the White House released its new federal fuel-efficiency standards.
President Obama today announced the next phase in the Administration’s program to increase fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas pollution for all new cars and trucks sold in the United States. These new standards will cover cars and light trucks for Model Years 2017-2025, requiring performance equivalent to 54.5 mpg in 2025 while reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 163 grams per mile.
Taken together, the standards established under this Administration span Model Years 2011 to 2025. They will save consumers money, reduce our dependence on oil, and protect the environment
There was some debate about whether the auto/fossil fuel lobby would be able to weaken the MPG below the stronger figure pushed by env'al groups. In the end, the administration went with the larger, more visionary figure.
(click for larger graphic)
The new goal is an increase from the current goal of 35.5 MPG. The President called the agreement “the single most important step we’ve ever taken as a nation to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.”
It is one good step in the right direction.
10:09 AM PT: A few benefits of the new rule:
• By 2025, the standards are projected to save families an estimated $8,200 in fuel savings over the lifetime of a new vehicle, relative to the Model Year 2010 standard.
• As the vehicle fleet turns over and older vehicles are replaced with more efficient ones, the oil savings from these standards will grow, ultimately reaching over 4 million barrels a day – nearly as much as we import from all OPEC countries combined.
• The standards will reduce carbon dioxide pollution by over 6 billion metric tons – equivalent to the emissions from the United States last year, or what the Amazon rainforest absorbs in three years.
And, of course this reduces the massive carbon footprint our nation continues to leave behind. Climate change is still out of control, and as long as Congress is run by teabaggers, nothing will be done to slow it down.
This type of leadership was sorely needed from the POTUS.