Fuel economy standards on Independence Day? Very unpatriotic:
The Obama administration and the auto industry are locked in negotiations over new vehicle mileage and emissions standards that will have a profound effect on the cars Americans drive and the health of the auto industry over the next decade and beyond. ...
Heather Zichal, a White House policy adviser on energy and environmental issues, said fuel economy standards were among the most effective ways to cut emissions and reduce oil imports, top priorities of the president.
via www.nytimes.com
Note that fuel economy standards are not the most cost-effective way to cut emissions and reduce oil imports. Cap and trade and carbon tax policies could achieve the exact same environmental and national security goals at a lower cost. The reason is that economic incentive-based policies provide the signal (in the form of higher energy prices) to improve fuel economy and pursue other ways of reducing emissions. If the other ways are cheaper, consumers and firms will have incentives to go down those paths. It is a shame that the political system makes higher fuel economy standards more feasible to achieve.
On the other hand, when people focus on gas prices, and politicians feed that behavior, any policy that raises them is DOA.
