Many of Obama's supporters were especially disappointed by his failure to do more for environmental protections as he had promised during his campaign for 2008. He went against the agenda of his own Environmental Protection Agency to set new regulations on smog levels and has generally been "disappointing" in fighting for better energy and a cleaner environment.
Just last month, however, Obama decided to stand behind Lisa Jackman, the E.P.A administrator, and Ray LaHood, the Department of Transportation Secretary, to initiate a deal with automotive companies that, "will go into effect in 2017 and require annual mileage improvements of 5 percent for cars, and a little less for light trucks and S.U.V.’s, until 2025 — when U.S. automakers will have to reach a total fleet average of 54.5 miles per gallon. The current average is 27.5 m.p.g."
The deal will lower cars' emissions by raising the mileage and ultimately save consumers money on gas. Sure, the price in cars will most likely increase by an estimated $2000 on average, but consumers will be saving three times that on gas, especially if the price of oil increases. The deal gives enough time to the automakers to come up with new designs for cars and engines and it will also, likely, lead to innovation for, "power trains, aerodynamics, batteries, electric cars and steel and aluminum that will make cars lighter and safer."
It is expected that four billion barrels of oil will be saved and two billion tons of metric green-house gas prevented over the course of the program from these new vehicles. Numbers like these are definitely making up for Obama's lost work on the environment.
The deal came in to being after the supreme court ruled that carbon dioxide was a pollutant and the auto companies got on board once they saw that many states were ready to put their own regulations on car emissions in to place.
The Global Automakers trade association said the plan is a, "comprehensive and harmonized national approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel economy ... while providing manufacturers the needed flexibility and lead time to design and build advanced technology vehicles.” Sounds like a win-win situation for everybody right?
Of course there will always be the people who disagree, and this plan has its "haters" like any other. Critiques point to the increased cost of vehicles over the course of the program, although the seem to ignore the threefold savings in gas. The individuals who are trying to bring the plan down are mostly just scared of changing the current system which in some way benefits them. I can't think of any other explanation because, really, who WANTS to further the pollute the world when we have the option of making it cleaner??
Generally speaking, this sounds like a good plan and it probably has come at a good time for Obama's re-election (coincidence?! :)).
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