“For eight years, President Bush blocked the country’s progress on global warming solutions. At long last, the era of obstruction and denial is over.
“President Obama’s directive recognizes that America is ready to tackle global warming. For too long, Washington has taken a back seat to California, 13 other states and the District of Columbia that have long understood the solution to global warming and job creation are one and the same. This action will help the entire country benefit from their foresight.
“Detroit itself has indicated that this action is not only possible but also good for business. In its ‘modernization plans’ submitted to Congress as part of its request for a taxpayer bailout last fall, General Motors pledged fuel efficiency improvements that would allow the company to meet a national clean cars standard consistent with California’s, according to an analysis by Natural Resources Defense Council.
“The move gives the American economy a jump on the inevitable rise in the price of oil. The only long-term solution to our oil addiction is to use less of it and develop better alternatives. President Obama could go even further by fulfilling a campaign promise to put a million plug-in electric vehicles on the road. We also urge him to raise gas mileage standards to 50 miles per gallon by 2028 and commit to cutting greenhouse emissions in the U.S. by at least 20-23 percent from current levels by 2020-the level science says is needed to prevent the worst effects of global warming.”
In 2007, the Bush administration blocked California lawmakers from requiring automobile manufacturers to reduce tailpipe emissions by 30 percent by 2016. President Obama’s directive clears the way for California, Arizona, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, the District of Columbia, Vermont and Washington to adopt stricter standards than the federal government requires under the Clean Air Act. Other states, including Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, and Utah, are considering adopting the program. Together this would represent over half of the U.S. automobile market. The California Air Resources Board estimates the new rules would cut global warming pollution from passenger vehicles by 18 percent by 2020 and 27 percent by 2030.
CONTACT: Mike Crocker, Greenpeace USA Media Officer, 202-215-8989
