New fuel economy standards for cars and light duty trucks, originally scheduled for this month, have been delayed until November, the EPA announced yesterday.
The new rules increase average fuel economy to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. The Obama administration reportedly remains on track to issue final rules by July, 2012.
EPA says the delay is because of ongoing coordination with the California which, although it has the authority to set its own standards, has agreed to harmonize its rules with those at the federal level.
Ironically, the announcement of the delay coincides with the release of a Department of Energy (DOE) report which argues for increased focus on reducing the energy used in transportation, which is the quickest way to use less oil. Continued reliance on oil, DOE says, is a threat to national security and climate change mitigation.
The new fuel economy standards cut carbon pollution by over 6 billion metric tons over the life of the program – more than the amount of carbon the entire US emitted last year, while creating as many as 150,000 new American jobs.
The delay in fuel economy regulations comes just days after the EPA postponed proposing regulations of power plant emissions. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson insists they are top on her list and will be proposed shortly.
The delays come at a time when advocates for environmental sustainability are increasingly impatient with the Obama adminstration’s apparent capitulation to industry interests on environmental matters. Earlier this month, Obama ordered EPA to withdraw new standards on air pollution.
Earlier this year, EPA released Clean Air Act standards for industrial boilers that were weaker than originally proposed, and extended the deadline for reporting on emissions by high-emitting industry sectors.
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