The cynic wonders: why new CAFE standards now? after the energy bill rejected them?
From today's NYTimes (Fuel economy plan bypasses ...) we learn that the proposed CAFE standards are weaker than those sought by California and other (blue) states. The state standards would hurt GM and Ford more than the fed standards and are strongly opposed by GM and Ford:
But the plan conflicts with air quality rules passed by California. The administration supports legal efforts by automakers to turn back the rules, which sharply curb tailpipe emissions of global-warming gases.
Because such emissions are related to how much gas a vehicle uses, California's rules would save far more at the pump for the state's residents than the White House plan. That would also be the case in states in the Northeast and Northwest that follow, or plan to follow, California's car rules. For California alone, the state projects annual net gas savings of more than $1 billion by early next decade.
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The administration's proposal is aimed at model year 2008-to-2011 light duty trucks, a category that includes sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks and minivans. The administration projects 10 billion gallons of gas savings over nearly two decades, about what is consumed in 25 days.
By contrast, California's emissions regulation would effectively force automakers to have a combined fuel economy for cars and trucks of about 33 m.p.g. by the 2016 model year and save 1.7 billion gallons of gas in California alone in just five years, the state's Air Resources Board projects.
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The White House plan is intended to help the struggling domestic automakers ...
After reading this article I've updated a couple of recent posts:
- New CAFE standards (note to John: look before you leap)
