President Barack Obama began his administration by following up on promises made during his campaign.  He started with an Executive Order to close down Gitmo within a year and meeting with military heads to start planning the withdrawal from Iraq.  Now his administration is following through on his environmental promises.

Besides the $825 billion stimulus package that includes money for improving infrastructure and money for green technology, his administration has been paying attention to the suggestions of environmental groups like Pew Environmental.

Pew Environmental Group had issued a list of four steps that the Obama administration needed to take quickly to get America on the right path to clean up the environment.

  --  Instructing the EPA to formally declare that carbon

dioxide and other global warming emissions are a danger to

human health and wellbeing. This is the first step in

regulating global warming emissions as pollutants under the

Clean Air Act.
  --  Directing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to

allow the global warming vehicle standard adopted by 14 states

and the District of Columbia to go forward.  This would reduce

greenhouse gas emissions from new cars and light trucks 30

percent by 2016.
  --  Accelerating the schedule for increasing fuel efficiency.

The 2007 energy bill increased fuel efficiency standards to at

least 35 miles per gallon by 2020 but a Department of

Transportation analysis shows automakers can meet this goal

five years earlier, saving consumers even more money at the

pump.
  --  Ordering higher efficiency standards for federal

government buildings and vehicle fleets. This could help

jumpstart construction, retrofitting and manufacturing

throughout America.

Last week the administration took the first step recommended by Pew Environmental Group.  New EPA director Lisa Jackson, agreed to regulate carbon dioxide under the Clean Air Act.

Monday, Obama took took more steps recommended by Pew. According to the Associated Press, He instructed the EPA to review California and other states’ waiver to impose tougher car emissions standards.  This step reverses the Bush Administration rejection of such measures.

He also instructed the Transportation Department to to issue guidelines that will ensure the nation’s auto fleet reaches an average fuel efficiency of at least 35 miles per gallon by 2020, if not earlier.  Although Congress had passed a law in 2007 requiring such measures, the Bush administration never created the regulations that would actually accomplish the goals set out by Congress.  New regulations to meet the 35 mpg by 2020 should be in place to affect cars coming out in 2011 to begin the process.

Much of the technology to achieve these goals already exists.  New technologies to improve automobile emissions and miles per gallon are being developed as this piece is being written.  There is no excuse for America’s automobile industry not to meet them.

President Obama is keeping his promises.  It is time that the States and the auto industry pitched in.

Related:

Entry was posted on Tuesday, January 27th, 2009 at 1:53 pm under Green Technology.

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