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On April 1, the Obama administration finalized landmark tailpipe standards that will cut global warming pollution, reduce America’s dependence on oil, and save Americans money at the gas pump.
Environment America worked for nearly a decade to achieve this victory—by working to pass the standards first in California in 2002 and then in more than a dozen other states. These victories set the stage for President Obama’s decision last May to extend the program across the entire nation—which the administration has now finalized.
Appearing on NBC Nightly News, Environment California's global warming advocate Bernadette Del Chiaro called the standards the federal government's "biggest single step forward to solve global warming." (You can watch the story here.)
Yet, Big Oil and their allies in Congress—led by Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska—are pushing to block the Obama administration’s efforts to limit carbon pollution, including the new clean cars standards. Environment America is working hard to defend the Clean Air Act and defeat these attacks in Congress.
Clean Cars Reports
America’s dependence on oil threatens our economy and harms our environment. Roughly half of all the oil we use in the United States goes into the gas tanks of our cars and light trucks. The oil we use in our vehicles is also a major contributor to global warming. The Obama administration is slated to unveil new standards for automobile fuel economy and global warming emissions by the end of March. These new standards—based on the “clean cars program” developed by California and adopted by 13 other states—will make a significant contribution toward reducing America’s dependence on oil and reducing the impact of our vehicles on the environment.
Testifying in Support of Clean Cars
Environment Michigan's Shelley Vinyard testified on October 21, 2009 at a hearing held by the U.S. EPA and NHSTA on fuel economoy standards. Read her full testimony here.
