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Politics : Rat's Nest - Chronicles of Collapse -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Wharf Rat who wrote (10207)	4/3/2010 11:43:52 AM
From: Wharf Rat	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 24226

New mileage rules move industry a long way in right direction The Obama administration's most recent foray into mileage standards for vehicles will pay off if it deters California and other states from venturing off on their own. That in itself justifies the goals announced Thursday, which cover the years 2012-16. Representatives of the auto industry reacted positively, which tells you that the goals are attainable and how much the industry prefers national regulation to a patchwork system. Certainty is good for manufacturers that require long lead times. What's less encouraging is the fact that these standards represent the Environmental Protection Agency's first stab at regulating greenhouse gas emissions -- in this case, the carbon dioxide that is produced when vehicles burn gasoline. The EPA action resulted from a combination of lawsuits and Congress' inability to pass a comprehensive program to deal with global warming gases. The EPA is taking an industry-by-industry approach that is far from ideal. In any event, a program to deal with global warming needs to have the broader buy-in reflected in a law, not simply a regulation. Congressional action would also help fill in the gaps around new fuel economy standards. In areas like flex fuels, for example, more research support is still needed for cellulosic ethanol and other potential alternatives. The increased use of batteries and electricity in cars cries out for better analysis of how much those technologies may merely shift the sources of global warming gases, rather than minimizing them, and for policies crafted to address those issues. That said, the new regulations have the potential to save Americans a lot of money on gasoline and to keep automakers on track for electric vehicles, hybrids and various engine changes, such as turbocharging, that maximize the output of each gallon of gas. They are certainly a step in the right direction -- as long as Americans don't succumb to the temptation to drive bigger cars or more miles as the vehicles make thriftier use of gasoline. freep.com == The New EPA Fuel Standards: Why MPG No Longer Matters I love the ambitious new automobile efficiency targets set by the EPA this week. This is long overdue. As the EPA pointed out, "transportation sources accounted for 28 percent of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2007, and have been the fastest-growing source of U.S. GHG emissions since 1990." While the new targets works out to an average of 35.5 MPG by 2016, the rules are actually set in terms of "grams of CO2 per mile." I suspect that it was done this way because of the EPA's new found authority to regulate CO2, but it also highlights that "miles per gallon" is not all that matters when it comes to climate change. theenergycollective.com