Chris Van Nostrand

May 2, 2008

On Tuesday, April 22, the Bush Administration raised the fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks. The regulation requires the automobile industry to meet fuel efficiency standard of 31.5 miles per gallon by 2015. This increase surpasses what is required by a law passed by Congress in December. The increase required by the standards is approximately fifty percent faster then the law requires. The primary motivation for the new regulation is the rising price of fuel. As of late April, twenty-four states including the District of Columbia average or exceed $3.50 per gallon of gasoline. The new fuel standards are expected to save car owners in gas expenditures in the future.

The car industry standards are already higher then the averages set by Congress. The legal standard is 27.5 miles per gallon but on average vehicles purchased get about 31.3 miles per gallon. In its calculations, the Administration claims that the new regulation will reduce gas production costs about $1.99 per gallon and reduce oil imports by about $0.28 per gallon. Representatives from the Environmental Defense Fund said that the new regulations were "no substitute for a broad policy on climate change." Ultimately the question is whether the new standards are a large enough step in the right direction.

While the new fuel standards are aimed at reducing gas consumption to ease the economic burden on car driving consumers, some environmentalists believe that a broad strategy must be put into place to reduce the effect of cars on global climate change. Despite President Bush's goal to stop the increase of green house gases by the year 2025 (announced in mid-April), the administration has resisted the decreasing fuel standards based on a reduction in total green house gas emissions. Environmental groups favor tougher fuel efficiency standards and regulations of heat trapping gasses from automobiles. Environmental groups want the EPA to take a more active role in placing actual regulations on automobile emissions.

The motivation for the new standards was to ease the burden on American drivers. Supporters of the legislation claim that in the long run the legislation will lower the amount Americans spend on gas while also curbing emissions. Some of the greener members of Congress also applauded the new standards because they will encourage the industry to make the increase the fuel efficiency on new cars sooner rather than later. Proponents of the legislation also claim that the new standards will reduce carbon emissions by 521 million metric tons for trucks produced between 2011 and 2015.

Sources:
CNN.com/Living. $100 Fill-ups Arrive at Pumps, CNN.com, Apr. 23, 2008, http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/04/23/gas.prices/index.html.

John M. Broder & Micheline Maynard, Lawmakers Set Deal on Raising Fuel Efficiency, N.Y. Times, Dec. 1, 2007, available at http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/01/washington/01energy.html?_r=2&scp=2&sq=cars+and+light+trucks&st=nyt&oref=slogin&oref=slogin.

Felicity Berringer, Group Seeks E.P.A. Rules on Fuel Efficiency, N.Y. Times, Apr. 3, 2008, available at http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9801E6DC153DF930A35757C0A96E9C8B63&scp=6&sq=emission+standards&st=nyt.

Bill Vlasic, Early Target for Fuel Efficiency is Expected, N.Y. Times, Apr. 22, 2008 available at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/22/business/22auto.html?scp=5&sq=fuel+efficiency&st=nyt.

Associated Press, Bush Administration Offers New Fuel Economy Rules, CNN.com, Apr. 22, 2008, http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/22/fuel.economy.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch#cnnSTCText.