Friday will be very important day for automakers and the environment, as President Barack Obama is set to unveil his plans for fuel economy. Obama will push for standards to be set for vehicle models from 2017 onwards.
Last year, Obama’s meeting with environmentalists and automakers brought about the fuel economy standard of 35.5 mpg for U.S. cars and trucks. This target is set to be achieved by the year 2016. Automakers were quick to agree to the terms as California and several other states were threatening to set their own standards. If that had come about, the country would have had a chaotic muddle standards littered across the landscape.
Once those standards were set, automakers made an urgent request for further standards to be set for 2017 and beyond. This was once again fueled by fears that California could set its own standards which would then become an example for any further regulations.
The new regulations which were announced in April will save 1.8 million barrels of oil. It will also change and reshape the type of vehicles that Americans will drive. The new regulations will obviously aim to improve on this and the Administration is also expected to reveal their standards for Medium and Heavy Duty vehicles from 2014 to 2018. The President wants the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency to work together to ensure that these standards are met and maintained.
Friday’s event will comprise of representatives from the automakers, EPA officials, Transportation Department officials, Congressmen and Press amongst others.