Here's something else to be thankful for today: A big part of the greenhouse-gas emissions reductions President Obama will propose when he attends the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen next month will be through sharp increases in vehicle fuel efficiency. Carol Browner, the White House climate czar, said this week that the president will propose reducing emissions by 17 percent over 2005 levels by 2020. “We have proposed the first-ever greenhouse gas and the toughest fuel economy standards for new cars and trucks. Congress said get to 35 miles per gallon in 2020; we have proposed 35.5 miles per gallon in 2016,” Browner said. The administration has proposed raising fuel-efficiency requirements 40 percent – to 35.5 miles per gallon – by 2016 for all new cars and light trucks sold in the U.S. combined. It plans to adopt final rules in April. “We have promulgated rules to promote the development of offshore wind and energy. And the Department of Energy has set aggressive new energy appliance standards and continues to move forward on setting more standards.” The administration awarded $2.4 billion in grants for advanced batteries and electric vehicle research in August and is loaning automakers billions to retool factories to build more fuel-efficient vehicles.
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Obama to Target Cars in Greenhouse-Gas Proposal at U.N. Climate Change Summit
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