Ladies and Gentlemen
The chance of the price per barrel of oil remaining below $100 for the long term is untenable due to the greed of the oil producers, so the proposal(mentioned below) from the US Government is quite encouraging.
Automakers would be required to gradually increase fuel efficiency under a landmark U.S. government proposal that raises the fleet-wide average to 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016 and regulates tailpipe emissions for the first time.
The initiative, if finalized, would boost fuel efficiency by 40 percent over current standards, reduce dependence on imported oil, and cut carbon emissions blamed for global warming by 21 percent by 2030, Transportation Department and Environmental Protection Agency officials said on Tuesday………………………..
Passenger car efficiency would rise from from 33.6 mpg in 2012 to 38 mpg in 2016, according to the 1,200-page proposal that is tougher than current law calling for 35 mpg by 2020.
Requirements for light trucks, including pickups and SUVs, would rise from 25 mpg in 2012 to 28.3 mpg by 2016. Vehicle emissions would have to meet a combined average of 250 grams of carbon dioxide per mile by 2016.
There would be annual increases of roughly 1 mile per gallon between 2012-16, and the plan is timed to help U.S. carmakers use billions of dollars in loans and grants aimed at helping them retool factories to make fuel efficient vehicles.
The requirements would favor smaller vehicles and, for the first time, the government would factor in the impact of other auto systems, like air conditioning, on efficiency.
Sadly it took the bankruptcy of the US car industry to make this happen since Detroit was largely led by short sighted executives many of whom oddly, despite their knowledge of the internal combustion engine, did not believe that auto emissions contribute to climate change????????
Of course the auto union members were right in bed with the auto maker owners and to my knowledge never proposed a work stoppage to get their bosses to up the mpg of cars.
So for all of those who do not want more government, this step is forward thinking and will make the Americas much stronger come 2016 and beyond.
excerpts courtesy of reuters online 9-15-09
(Reporting by John Crawley; Additional reporting by Deborah Zabarenko; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)
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