Breaking News: 39 mpg standard by 2016!

The first blog post I made on here(minus the intro) was about how the Bush Administration was using the lowest standard possible under the 2007 bill called the Energy Independence and Security Act that raised CAFE standards to a minimum of 35 mpg by 2020.  I testified before the National Highway Traffic and Safety Admin(NHTSA), about how they were making a big mistake.  For a time it looked like this was what the government was going to pursue, but news recently just broke that the CAFE standard is going to be 39 mpg by 2016, which is a sizable shift.  I’m very pleased with this.  A few notable excerpts are below.

“The Obama administration will issue new national emissions and mileage requirements for cars and light trucks to resolve a long-running conflict among the states, the federal government and auto manufacturers, industry officials said Monday.”

“But Mr. Obama is planning to go further, putting in place new fuel economy rules that will combine the standards of California’s emissions law with the corporate average fuel economy program administered by the Department of Transportation. The effect will be a single national mileage rule that matches California’s strictest-in-the-nation standard.  Under the new standard, the national fleet mileage rule for cars would be roughly 39 miles a gallon in 2016. Light trucks would have to meet a fleet average of slightly more than 26.2 miles a gallon by 2016.”

“This is a very big deal,” said Daniel Becker of the Safe Climate Campaign, a group that has pushed for tougher mileage and emissions standards with the goal of curbing the heat-trapping gases that have been linked to global warming. “This is the single biggest step the American government has ever taken to cut greenhouse-gas emissions.”     

**Update 5/20/09** Here is a good NY times editorial which puts the significance in perspective.

**Update 5/27/09**  This post originally said 42 mpg, it turns out the media got that confused, 42 mpg was what the California standard in 2020 would have been.  The actual standard is 39 mpg by 2016.  I’m updating this post to reflect that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hitting the Fan

I’ve been all over the Markey-Waxman bill  for the last month.  This is the week where the full Energy and Commerce Committee will be marking up the bill.  Here is the summary of the bill.  The first paragraph sums up what’s at stake..

“On Monday, May 18, 2009, at 1:00 p.m. in room 2123 Rayburn House Office Building, the full Committee on Energy and Commerce will meet in open markup session to consider H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES Act), comprehensive energy legislation to deploy clean energy resources, increase energy efficiency, cut global warming pollution, and transition to a clean energy economy.“

If your Congressman sits on the Energy and Commerce Committee, now is the time to weigh in by making a phone call or sending an e-mail.  If you want to watch the proceeds, the hearing is on CSPAN-3, and you can watch online here.

I’ve given my verdict of this bill.  I think it has its flaws and could be improved in some areas, but overall this bill will be more far-reaching and bring a bigger spark to the clean energy economy than anything in history.  It will change America’s trajectory on greenhouse gas emissions.  This will be an interesting week, and I’ll be sure to keep readers up to date on all the action.