Finally! A Modern Auto Industry

Washington, D.C. -- Tomorrow President Obama will announce that, with a little nudge from Uncle Sam (and a big nudge from the Sierra Club and the states), the auto industry has finally agreed to join the 21st century. President Obama will announce a federal standard for global-warming emissions from vehicles that by 2016 will reduce vehicle global warming pollution by 30 percent. It will achieve the equivalent of a 42-mpg fuel-economy standard for cars and will also catch up to the pioneering clean-car standards promulgated by California since 2005.

A 30 percent reduction in vehicle global warming pollution is enormous -- and the support of the auto industry, which Obama has pulled together, shows how powerful the leverage is when an industry, even one as recalcitrant as this one, realizes that higher standards and accountability are unavoidable.

The auto industry agreed to this package because President Obama has restored the rule of law and science at the EPA, and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson has made it clear that if the federal government didn't regulate greenhouse pollution, then California and the 15 states that thus far have joined it would have the right to do so on their own. Faced with the reality that in half of the auto market tough carbon-pollution standards are coming anyway (and fearful of a balkanized market), the industry agreed to accept federal standards that by 2016 will be as tough as those California has proposed.

But the auto industry only moved forward when it had to. And there's a lesson here for those of us fighting the oil/coal/dirty-power complex that's been clamoring for bailouts and loopholes in the climate legislation that's pending in the House Commerce Committee. Those special interests will take reducing carbon pollution seriously only when they have to -- and, by itself, the threat of federal climate legislation isn't a strong enough incentive. They believe (with reason) that they have the votes in Congress to water it down.

But if the Obama administration were moving forward with Clean Air Act standards that would reduce pollution from coal-fired power plants by 30 percent by 2016, we'd hear a very different tune on Capitol Hill. And just today in this city, the EPA held its first hearing on exactly such a rulemaking process. The best thing we can all do to ensure that the tremendous victory we have just won against vehicle carbon pollution is followed up with an equally essential victory over power-plant carbon emissions is to let our leaders know that we want the EPA to regulate coal-fired power plants -- and we want it to do so now!

Comments

[manfromsnowy]

America's Auto Industry response is to bring back the Pony Cars Mustang Charger and Camero.

Nothing about intelligent design when you redesign a dinosaur natural selection will make them obsolete, and we are rewarding these clowns with pay raises, Mr Giethner.

For Christ's sake, the Model T ford in 1927 got 27 mph. it is now 80 years later and the gas milage for the average car still does not meet these numbers.

[drkazmd65]

My 2000 Mazda (1.6L engine, 5-speed manual) already gets a real-world 36-40mpg (milage drops about 10% over winter to 36mpg - rises during sumer to ~40). Day, after day, after day after day,...

My first car (a used Chevy Monza) also had a small 4cyl engine and manual transmition,... got about 40mpg highway when I owned it during the 1980s.

My parent's older car is a Saturn c1992, and I know when I borrowed it a couple of times during the late 90s I averaged over 38mpg in it (also a manual transmition and 4 cyl engine).

We already CAN do this. It shouldn't be hard with just a hint of realism.

[Overtone]

Breakthrough technologies will rapidly make possible future electric and hybrid cars that need no fuel or external battery charge.

The cars can turn into power plants when parked. Imagine vehicles that need no fuel and pay for themselves - by wirelessly selling power to the local utility.

This will become a cost-competitive alternative to building new coal and nuclear power plants.

It reflects one application of new technologies that tap energy sources never yet commercialized - such as ambient heat, Zero Point Energy, and hydrinos.

Scientists will be understandably skeptical until independent laboratory validation takes place.

That is on the horizon, as is production of self-powered generators - as well as demonstration devices for schools and universities.

See http://www.chavaenergy.com for more information concerning magnetic motors and generators, and self powered internal combustion engines that utilize hydrinos.

These technologies are inherently inexpensive. They have surprising potential to supersede nuclear power and accelerate reversal of our economic and energy concerns.