Progress, Washington, Same Sentence

Obama just did this: More than doubled the required average fleet MPG by 2025 for US automakers.

Lots of info there —basically each car company has a range of vehicles. Those vehicles all have a miles per gallon score. The entire company’s fleet then has an average MPG. The federal government requires the average to hit a target, and this is how they press for innovation.

This is the regulation that republicans dread.

Our past oil loving presidents held the required average in the 20’s, leaving the market stagnant (way more SUV’s sold than Prius’). Obama has now ratcheted up the standard twice since taking office.

Automakers will have from 2012-2017 to meet the first set of standards, then 2017-2025 to reach this 56 MPG average. This might actually bring us a cleaner future, with SUV’s getting 40 MPG and the rest of us getting 80+. Nice.

Note that this is for passenger cars and SUV’s – pickup trucks (even light trucks) are not exempt but do have lower standards to meet.

Of course, GM and Chrysler are on board since they are still taking marching orders from Washington, but Ford, Honda, and Hyundai are reported to be supportive as well.

Don’t let the news whores fool you – good work is getting done in Washington by this administration. Progressive, intelligent, actual strategic work is getting done, as opposed to the flashy, ignorant, sound-bite politics of the last administration.

Don’t be fooled by marketing and lowest common denominator politics when it comes time to vote.