Washington Post: White House Is Prepared to Set First National Limits on Greenhouse Gases

White House Is Prepared to Set First National Limits on Greenhouse Gases

By David A. Fahrenthold and Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, September 16, 2009

The Obama administration on Tuesday formally proposed new fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks, a move that signals the first federal limits on greenhouse-gas pollution.

In May, President Obama announced in a Rose Garden ceremony that cars would be held to a higher environmental standard. On Tuesday, officials filled in the details, linking fuel economy to emissions from vehicles.

The net effect would be to require manufacturers to ratchet up fuel economy 5 percent per year. In 2016, new cars and trucks would have to achieve an average rating of 35.5 miles per gallon. Cars currently must average 27.5 miles per gallon; light trucks must average 23.1 miles per gallon.

In an appearance Tuesday morning at a General Motors plant in Lordstown, Ohio, Obama cited the proposed rules as a sign that his administration can find common ground between environmental groups and industry.

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