“These fuel standards represent the single most important step we’ve ever taken to reduce our dependence on foreign oil,” ~ President Obama 

Energy independence? We all want it, conservatives and liberals alike. Clean air? Our grandchildren need it. Here’s some good news worth sharing.

Now it’s up to us to buy the cars, and support this energy-independence, clean-air-enabling innovation. The other day I got to check out the new Ford electrics—and loved the look of them (I am concerned about their road trip-ability). And in a few weeks I’ll check out Toyota’s new offerings. ~ ed.

NY Times: “Taken together, the two sets of rules would increase fuel efficiency from today’s average of about 29 miles per gallon to 54.5 miles per gallon when they are fully effective in 2025. This is expected to result in a cut of 40 percent to 50 percent in fuel consumption and roughly equivalent cuts in greenhouse gas emissions…

…The White House says the rules would reduce oil consumption by two million barrels a day by 2025; the nation now consumes 19 million barrels a day and imports just less than half that amount…”

Excerpt:

“…President Obama’s contribution was to bring about a consensus among the agencies, the states, the automakers and the interest groups on federal and state standards that reduced fuel use and gave industry the regulatory certainty it needed to move forward.

It is a model of public-private cooperation. Even so, the Romney campaign has called the rules “extreme” and House Republicans have threatened to roll them back. That would be a grave disservice to consumers, the auto companies, the economy and the planet…”

…click here for the rest.

Thirteen major automakers, including General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, endorsed the new standards during lengthy negotiations last year…

“One industry trade group, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, said a “rigorous midterm review” was necessary to determine how consumers reacted to new models that had better mileage but might be more expensive.

“Compliance with higher fuel-economy standards is based on sales…”

Another excerpt from another article:

“…The transportation secretary, Ray LaHood, said the standards would save Americans $1.7 trillion in fuel costs, resulting in an average savings of more than $8,000 a vehicle by 2025.

The fuel savings, he said, would easily exceed the estimated $2,000 to $3,000 that the more efficient vehicles would cost consumers to buy…”

But the Romney campaign has criticized the new rules as “extreme” and said the standards would limit the choices when consumers shop for a new car. “The president tells voters that his regulations will save them thousands of dollars at the pump, but always forgets to mention that the savings will be wiped out by having to pay thousands of dollars more upfront for unproven technology that they may not even want,” said Andrea Saul, a spokeswoman for the Romney campaign.