Clean Car Rule Must be a Victory for Consumers and the Environment

In May, President Barack Obama announced national clean car standards to spur the creation of a U.S. automobile fleet that averages approximately 35 miles-per-gallon by 2016. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) are currently finalizing the rule to implement these standards.

UCS and activists like you have worked tremendously hard for such a day, and our analysis shows that the standards would save drivers $32 billion in 2020 based on a gas price of $2.50 per gallon, even after they pay the cost of vehicle technology improvements. But that’s only if the final rule keeps the standards strong and avoids any loopholes that would undermine their effectiveness. 

Please urge EPA and DOT leaders that the national clean car rule must ensure we meet the president's goal and not be hampered by loopholes.


 
Sincerely,
 
Scott Nathanson
National Field Organizer
Clean Vehicles Program

Contact the EPA and DOT today

Dear Administrator Jackson and Secretary LaHood,

I applaud your combined efforts to implement the national clean car standards announced by President Obama. These standards are a win for U.S. drivers, whose gasoline savings will outweigh any increased costs for vehicle technology developments. Indeed, your own analysis shows that automakers could reach significantly higher efficiency standards than those proposed and still save consumers money.

But 30 years without any significant change in fuel economy standards has shown that only a strong rule will ensure that clean car choices become a reality. Past loopholes to fuel economy rules, such as allowing automakers to reclassify cars as "light trucks" to decrease fuel economy requirements and incorporating weight thresholds that allowed gas guzzlers like the Hummer to evade all fuel economy regulations, helped to create the current environmental and economic predicament the automobile industry finds itself in.

The final clean car rule must guard against any potential loopholes or other efforts to weaken the effectiveness of the standards. Creating a strong national program will fulfill the president’s commitment, provide U.S. consumers with clean vehicle choices, and allow the struggling auto industry to emerge as the model for a clean energy economy.