It hasn’t even been a week since the inauguration, when California Governor Schwarzenegger shook the hand of President Obama in congratulations, and already Obama has directed the Environmental Protection agency to review the possibility of allowing California and more than twelve other states to set tougher emissions standards.
This would force the nation’s automakers to adhere to stricter standards. Their worry is that there might be conflicting standards between the state and federal level.
This is the first step in reducing our dependency on foreign oil.
The previous Bush administration had blocked the efforts of the states to pass stricter regulations, which resulted in a law suit
Starting his second week in office, Obama took a major step toward allowing California and other states to target greenhouse gases through more stringent auto emission standards, and he ordered new federal rules directing automakers to start making more fuel-efficient cars as required by law. — Huffington Post Article
“The federal government must work with, not against, states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Obama said at the White House, taking a stab at his predecessor’s policies.
“The days of Washington dragging its heels are over. My administration will not deny facts, we will be guided by them. We cannot afford to pass the buck … onto the states.”
Obama’s directive, which is likely to result in a formal change in the coming months, could prompt as many as 18 states to follow California’s lead by putting into effect tailpipe emissions standards that are tougher than federal mandates.
The president also directed the Department of Transportation to set boost fuel efficiency standards for automobiles by March 30 for model year 2011, giving manufacturers 18 months to prepare.
The rules are part of a 2007 law that calls for automakers’ fleets to reach an average 35 miles per gallon by 2020. The Bush administration left Obama to finalize the standards because of the uncertainty gripping car companies. –Reuters
Under Review: Auto Emission Standards
It hasn’t even been a week since the inauguration, when California Governor Schwarzenegger shook the hand of President Obama in congratulations, and already Obama has directed the Environmental Protection agency to review the possibility of allowing California and more than twelve other states to set tougher emissions standards.
This would force the nation’s automakers to adhere to stricter standards. Their worry is that there might be conflicting standards between the state and federal level.
This is the first step in reducing our dependency on foreign oil.
The previous Bush administration had blocked the efforts of the states to pass stricter regulations, which resulted in a law suit