United States Finally Tightens Auto Fuel Efficiency Standards

Following California's lead also regulates automotive carbon emissions for the first time

1 min read

The Obama administration promised to tighten U.S. automotive fuel efficiency standards almost immediately after taking office, as reported here, and today, following the customary process of policy formulation, comment and review, it did so. Equally important, the Environmental Protection Agency for the first time sets standards for vehicular carbon emissions--a move generally welcomed by the auto industry, which does not want to see states adopt a variety of carbon standards piecemeal, in California's footsteps. That would require them to develop and market different cars to suit the varying state requirements.

The new rules require automakers to improve fleet fuel efficiency and cut carbon emissions by about 5 percent per year, starting with the 2012 model year. By 2016, the required average fleet fuel efficiency will be an estimated 34.1 mpg (or 6.9 liters per 100 kilometers,  with some variance, depending on the degree carbon cuts are achieved by improving efficiency or by other means. If better efficiencies yielded all the carbon reductions, average fleet performance in 2016 will be 35.5mpg (6.6 l/100 km).

Efforts to tighten fuel efficiency standards have been stymied in the United States for decades, an embarrassing situation for liberals inasmuch as Democratic Party representatives of auto manufacturing strategy and the Big Labor lobby have sometimes been more at fault than Republicans. Obama has cut through that particular Gordian knot, and his EPA will soon take action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources as well. It is an open question, however, whether he will be able to corral auto and coal state Democrats to enact meaningful national legislation on energy and climate.

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