Business, Environmentalists and Government Agree on National Fuel Efficiency Standards
On Tuesday President Obama held a press conference along with automotive industry leaders, environmental advocates and politicians from across the country to announce that an agreement had been reached between all concerned parties to set one national standard for fuel efficiency in new automobiles. In coming to this agreement, parties that have been adversaries historically have agreed to drop lawsuits and work together to implement the new standards.
Between now and 2016 fuel efficiency averages will be increased to 35.5MPG. As a result 1.8 billion barrels of oil will be saved over the lifetimes of the new vehicles being produced under these standards. The increased costs of production will be more than offset in fuel savings according to auto industry representatives who have in the past opposed such measures as being harmful to business and consumers due to related higher costs.
One of the main proponents of the plan, Republican California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, was also on hand for the press conference and applauded the national standards proposed by the Obama administration. California has long been a leader in pushing fuel efficiency and stricter emissions standards with the toughest standards for both fuel efficiency and emissions in the nation. Part of the agreement was that California would adopt the new national standards for cars sold in California to allow manufacturers to design and build cars to a single standard nationwide.
With America’s thirst for large SUV’s and luxury cars it will remain to be seen how the new cars will be developed without increasing costs to the point of pricing popular models out of the market. Some environmentalists have suggested only such pricing and increased fuel costs will curb the excessive fuel consumption in the American market. With less than 5% of the world’s population, American consumers use nearly 25% of the world’s oil on an annual basis. There is a hope among environmental groups that these new standards put forth by the White House will help to reduce American fuel consumption and harmful emissions into the environment.
One thing seems clear in this latest development. The American auto industry, long opposed to these stricter standards, is waking up to a new reality and seeing that the only way they may survive in the long run is to “go green” and put the environment ahead of their profits to a greater degree than has previously been the case. Consumers have shown an increased interest in more fuel efficient cars and SUV’s resulting in a loss of market share held in the past by U.S. Auto makers to foreign companies already focused on fuel efficiency who have expanded their lines of luxury and sport utility vehicles in recent years. To compete, American car makers are going to have to adapt their designs to the realities of increased fuel prices and a lagging U.S. economy. The new standards give them added incentive to refocus their efforts on creating vehicles better suited to a changing marketplace and may in some ways help to revive the struggling industry.
Troy Wilson-Ripsom - Staff Writer | Give your feedback on this article. | Click icon to Digg this article
Get Involved Do you sit and yell at the TV when politicians come on? Do you shake your head sadly whenever you see a homeless veteran? Is that all you tend to do? It's time to put up or shut up America. We all love to talk about how we could do things better or how we would do it if we were in charge. Well, it's time to put your money where your mouth is. If you can think of it, you can write it down. If you can write it down, you can type it. If you can type it, you can e-mail it and if you can e-mail it, you can send it here. We at Reform America are committed to giving voice to anyone who wants to put their ideas out there to make our nation a better place. As the readership grows, we are able to take those views to a wider and wider audience. Grassroots campaigns begin with voices speaking out. You have opinions. Voice them. We aren't about conservative or liberal. We aren't about pro-this or anti-that. We're about Americans and the First Amendment. Reform America is about politics by, for and of the people. You are the people. You only need to speak up. America is listening. Send your article to: stories@reform-america.net |
|