Obama's Bold New Auto Standards

In what is a huge victory for California and a strong national commitment to more fuel efficient cars, the Obama administration will reportedly grant California its waiver to issue tough greenhouse gas emissions standards while at the same time combining those standards with a new national Corporate Automotive Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard (for an explanation of the California waiver issue click here). The result will be a unified national fuel standard of 42 miles per gallon for passenger cars by 2016 and 26.2 mpg for light trucks. According to the Times, industry groups are satisfied with the administration's move and will not challenge it.

This is truly huge news and a big victory for the environment. California's leadership on auto standards has been confirmed and for the first time in thirty years the federal government will significantly strengthen CAFE standards. And if the reports are right the Obama administration will accomplish this change by getting the auto industry to drop its lawsuits against California and other states that have chosen to follow the California standards. Otherwise, the new standards even with federal approval might well have faced seriously delay until the resolution of the suits (as it is the California standards were supposed to take effect for model year 2009, something that obviously didn't happen). Moreover California will retain its regulatory leadership role and thus can continue to set the pace, post-2016, for further greenhouse gas emissions reductions for automobiles.

This also shows that the Obama administration is serious about environmental policymaking even in the face of a bleak economy. He could have used the crisis in the auto industry to back away from his commitment to grant the California waiver. Instead, he used his leverage over the industry, combined with widespread recognition that domestic manufacturers need to shift their automotive fleets to smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles, to extract an agreement that will result in large reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Comments

[KillTheMessenger]

Sadly, while it is a victory, it is also a poster child for "too little, too late". We have won the battle about thirty years after the war was lost.

[Overtone]

Turn Future Cars into Cash Cows. They can Become Power Plants!

Revolutionary self-powered engines and generators are expected to replace the need to plug-in a plug-in hybrid. A 2 kW generator is on the horizon. It will eventually demonstrate a compact, inexpensive, capability to end the need to plug-in.

Since no fossil fuel or battery recharge is required, existing engines are likely to become obsolete. Consumer purchasing patterns could begin to reflect a new reality, with the market deciding most future cars will never need fossil fuel.

When a substantial number of vehicles powered by such systems fill a parking garage, wireless power transmission technology can turn it into a multi-megawatt power plant.

The cost of many vehicles might be paid for by utilities, as they purchase electricity whenever needed.

The parked cars, trucks and buses, each become decentralized power plants - a rapid, cost-effective alternative to the many tough and costly challenges of constructing new coal burning and nuclear power generation facilities.

Auto makers will have no trouble selling fuel free cars that need no batteries or recharge, and can pay for themselves.

Imagine the potential for stimulating the world economy.

Auto makers and utilities have a unique opportunity to lead the nation and the world.

[ranchomerced]

Not bad; it only took the liberals 3 years to completely obliterate the free market economy, destroy more than half of the private wealth, drive the largest manufacturers into bankruptsy. Now this should be the nail in the coffin for free capitalism. Cap and trade, increase taxes on everyone not just the wealthy. To that stupid lady that said on radio "now we have Obama; I wont have to worry about paying my mortgage and puttin gas in my car" I ask: how's it workin for ya?

[ranchomerced]

Oh I forgot, rack up more debt in 100 days than all of the 230 years of this republic .

[SantaFeConservative]

There will be Prius's as far as the eye can see ... I'll be buying my last car in 2015 ... something that is large (safe) and powerful. I can't wait for the hybrid police cars that will go almost 70 miles an hour. Catch me if you can!

[Donk]

Try to outrun the radio! The LA TV stations love to televise high speed chases from their helicopters.

[KillTheMessenger]

In 2015, my friend, your new powerful car will come with a remote disabling switch. They will take your license plate number, dial a code into their police car computer and you will slowly come to a halt wherever you are.

Enjoy.