A bipartisan group of House lawmakers on Wednesday introduced a bill that would require automakers to boost the fuel efficiency of new vehicles to an average 33 miles per gallon over the coming decade from the current 25 mpg...
New York Republican Sherwood Boehlert and Massachusetts Democrat Ed Markey said the stricter mileage standard proposed in their legislation would save an estimated 2.6 million barrels of oil per day by 2025...
The lawmakers cited a 2002 National Academy of Sciences study which said technologies already exist to squeeze more mileage out of a gallon of gasoline, without sacrificing safety. Boehlert also noted U.S. automakers recently signed a voluntary agreement with Canada on greenhouse gas emissions that effectively raises fuel efficiency by 25 percent for vehicles sold in that country.
While it's a plus that Canada is being used as a positive example, it's a shame that we haven't yet taken a serious look at requirements similar to those which may soon be in effect in the States. As pointed out in the article, there isn't now (and hasn't been for years) a lack of technology capable of making vehicles more fuel-efficient; all that's been needed is a spur to make use of that technology. By avoiding any action until this year, and then acting only to the point of a voluntary agreement, the Liberals have deliberately avoided that spur to action.
In the end, it may turn out that Canada's fuel efficiency will improve only as a spin-off from new mandatory standards in the U.S. And given the disdain with which global warming and other environmental issues have been treated to the south, it's a truly sad position to wind up free-riding off of U.S. emissions policy.
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