Tuesday, May 19, 2009

New Emissions Standards

This is good news and yes it will raise the price of a new car. The best thing is that the new standards include tougher standards for each class size of vehicles, as well as a higher average across each company's fleet. The previous rules covered only the fleet average, which meant that companies could offset a giant SUV with some more fuel efficient models. You are still going to be able to buy a bigger car or truck but it will be more energy efficient. These new rules are estimated to be the equivalent of taking 177 million cars off the road. As the global economy recovers and the price of oil begins to climb again this will be a very good thing indeed.

"The Obama administration today plans to propose tough standards for tailpipe emissions from new automobiles, establishing the first nationwide regulation for greenhouse gases.

It will also raise fuel efficiency targets to 35.5 miles per gallon for new passenger vehicles and light trucks by 2016, four years earlier than required under the 2007 energy bill, sources close to the administration said. (...)

The deal has been under negotiation since the first days of the administration. It represents a compromise among the White House; the state of California; and the auto industry, which has long sought national mileage standards and has waged an expensive legal battle against the California waiver. The industry will get its national standard, but at the price of one that approximates California's targets. Industry officials said they would drop all related lawsuits."

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