What's your opinion of the new CAFE standards?
CAFE New Standards
In the USA, CAFE stands for the Corporate Average Fuel Economy regulations. They were first enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1975, in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis. Its aim was to improve the fuel economy (mpg) of cars and light trucks (trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of up to 8,500 pounds (3,856 kg)) sold in the U.S. Thanks to a tax loophole, it was worth manufacturer making their SUVs over 6,000 pounds and for people to buy them if they were able to afford that price bracket. Sometimes manufacturers prefer to pay a penalty rather than meet a particular standard. The standards are administered by NHTSA.
On Tuesday Norman Y. Mineta, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, announced a plan to improve mileage efficiency of vehicles sold in the USA. With demand for gas-guzzling SUVs (sports utility vehicles) fuelled in recent years by a tax break for vehicles over 6,000 pounds as well as by fashion, the USA's fuel efficiency has been falling while other countries have been working to improve theirs.
Whilst gas was relatively cheap (compared to developed countries - some countries such as Iraq have very heavily subsidised fuel), there was little incentive to develop or buy more fuel efficient vehicles or reduce mileage. There seemed little concern about the sheer volume of unhealthy emissions due to the burning of so much fuel. Other countries, whether due to feeling too dependent on foreign oil, or being concerned at levels of smog or greenhouse gases, or wanting to reduce costs in order to be competitive, or just to save money, have sought to improve their fuel efficiency. They have done this in different ways, either by regulation, and or by taxing fuel - for example, when the USA was paying $2.55 a gallon recently, Britons were paying around $6.24.
Whilst American vehicle manufacturers were developing and selling SUVs and the public were buying them, other countries were making smaller vehicles and developing hybrid vehicles, and the public were buying them. The technology is already available to make considerable improvements to the fuel efficiency of America's vehicles, and if America were to considerably tighten its standards, then there would be an incentive for the world's car and truck manufacturers to improve their vehicles further. This can be done; for example, environmentally-conscious American car enthusiasts have beefed up hybrid cars to get fuel efficiencies of up to 250 mpg. All it needs is a big enough market to make further development worthwhile and bring costs down.
In the light of this, the new CAFE standards are, frankly, pathetic, in my opinion. Whilst the Bush administration is sidestepping any issue which pits the environment against the status quo when it comes to burning fossil fuels, many of the American people are not. Not only are individuals finding ways to improve their fuel efficiency and/or reduce their emissions, but so are the mayors of cities, and so are states, several of which have formulated considerably higher standards. The new regulations would actually bar states from setting higher standards than the administration.
The new rules are complex (169 pages and far more categories than before) so it will take some time for automakers to digest it and plan accordingly, and it is hard to tell just how much effect it will have. It is likely that they will make relatively small changes to vehicles where that will bring them into a category with less stringent standards, rather than improve their efficiency. Since vehicles over 8,500 lbs (like the Hummer H2) will not fall under the regulations, there may be a move to sell more in that category just as there has been a move up to now to produce SUVs that were over 6,000 pounds under the old regulations. This would not only lead to higher fuel consumption rather than less, but would add further to the danger of people in smaller, lighter cars who may come into collision with them.
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So, don't look to the government to bring about significant improvements. Higher gas prices are a much better bet. The USA has already reached its peak oil, and the world may have too, so prices are unlikely to fall far or for long before rising further.
Here's how the Secretary of Transportation introduced the proposed new rules:
Government Proposes New SUV Fuel Standards
The Bush administration has proposed new standards to make some sport utility vehicles, minivans and pickup trucks more fuel efficient from 2008 to 2011. Neither the biggest SUVs, like the Hummer H2, nor ordinary passenger cars would need to change. Environmentalists say the plan goes nowhere near far enough.
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Other stories
Northeast States to Reduce Emissions, Nine states plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions-NYT
Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont have come to a preliminary agreement to cap then reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. If ratified by legislatures, carbon dioxide emissions would be limited to roughly the average emissions in the highest three years between 2000 and 2004. Reductions would begin in 2015, reaching 10% in 2020. A cap-and-trade market would enable plants exceeding the limits to buy credits from those which met their target with emissions to spare.
This compares with the Kyoto Protocol, which the Bush Administration has not ratified, where industrial nations to cut their combined emissions to 5% below 1990 levels by 2008 - 2012. The USA accounts for about 25% of world emissions.
Panel Sees Growing Melting Arctic Threat
The National Science Foundation's Arctic System Science Committee says that the melting of Arctic ice is speeding up and that it does not see any natural process reversing the trend. The ocean could become ice-free in summers for the first time in a million years within a century. Then, once the land-based glaciers melt sea levels could rise dramatically. Melting permafrost would release carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas contributing to global warming, into the atmosphere.
Colo. Scientist Quits Global Warming Panel
Colorado State University scientist Roger Pielke Sr. has resigned from the Climate Change Science Program, a Bush administration science advisory team. He believes that while mankind is contributing to global warming through greenhouse gas emissions, not enough weight is being given to other factors such as land clearance and agriculture.
Portuguese forest fires flare anew as wind rises
Rising winds and higher temperatures have fanned the wildfires raging in Portugal. One Portuguese water-bombing plane crashed, but the pilot was only scratched.
Crews Clear Debris From Floods in Europe
34 people have died In Europe this week as a result of flooding in Austria, Bavaria, Bulgaria, Romania and Switzerland. Many homes and towns were flooded.
Rafts, Helicopter Aid Flooded Arizona
Severe storms have caused major flooding across southern Arizona, causing some people to need to be rescued by helicopter. A state of emergency has been declared.
South Florida Under Hurricane Watch, Tropical Storm Katrina aims at Florida, Bahamas
Tropical Storm Katrina was in the Bahamas Wednesday and heading towards Florida and expected to strengthen, possibly to become a hurricane.
Team Claims to Find New Yangtze Source
An international group of explorers using state of the art technology believes it has found a new source for the Yangtze River in China, 4 miles farther west than the old one.
U.N.: Iraq Marshlands Rebound Quickly
Under Saddam Hussein the marshlands between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in southern Iraq were drained. 90% of the area, once known as Mesopotamia, turned into arid salt flats and the way of life of the Marsh Arabs was destroyed. The remaining 10% was expected to disappear by 2008. Now 37% of the area is marshy again (50% before the summer evaporated some of it). Simply re-flooding the area may not be enough, though, because of the damage to the soil and the ecosystem and loss of biodiversity.
More City Dwellers Keeping Gardens
More and more people are turning their urban gardens to fruit and vegetables and poultry and other animals, either to save money or because they do not trust supermarket food to be safe or because they fear America's dependence on oil, which is used to transport food. Many of the gardens are organic.
Israel Group Removes Trees in Settlements
Environmentalists from an organisation which has planted millions of trees throughout Israel are removing many of the trees from the Jewish settlements just abandoned in Gaza. They plan to take care of them until the settlers have moved into new homes.
USDA Reverses Itself on Organic Seals
The USDA has reversed its decision to remove its "USDA Organic" seal from lotions and lip balms after it had been sued.
Ecuador oil protesters close to deal
Ecuador oil protesters are close to a deal with private energy companies, according to a mediator.
Jamaica Signs on to Venezuela's Oil Plan
Jamaica is the first country to sign up to the PetroCaribe initiative, whereby Venezuela will supply oil to 13 Caribbean nations at a discounted rate. Venezuela is the world's fifth-largest oil exporter.
Sex: Too Hot for Turtles?
Women's rights groups were not happy about the ad campaign to save turtles and want the sexy woman replaced. Do you think she should be replaced?
Diver reported taken by shark off south Australia
A university researcher diving for cuttlefish eggs near Adelaide off Australia's southern coast is missing, presumed dead after he was taken by a shark.
Calif. Animal Sanctuary Saves 700 Chickens
A man who bought a former egg farm in California found that he was also the unexpected owner of 700 hens who were no longer in prime egg-laying condition. The hens had been kept in very cramped conditions indoors for their whole lives. Rescue groups have taken them in.
Animal testing backed by 500 UK scientists
Only a day after a farm producing guinea pigs for research gave up in the wake of intimidation by animal rights activists, over 500 British scientists have signed a declaration in support of animal testing.
N.M. Falcon Sighting Fuels Drilling Fight
There has been a recent sighting of 2 endangered aplomado falcons on Otero Mesa, where the U.S. Bureau of Land Management plans to allow drilling. The birds had not been seen there for years. The state already wanted more safeguards for wildlife than the BLM had proposed.
Feds Cut Land for Calif. Tiger Salamander
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has decided to nearly halve the amount of land reserved for the California tiger salamander because of the cost of restricting development.
WHO hopes drugs will buy time against bird flu
Swiss drug maker Roche, the only maker of Tamiflu antiviral, has donated enough doses to the World Health Organization (WHO) to treat 3 million people. This would be used to help slow an outbreak of bird flu among humans, to try and prevent a pandemic. The WHO is recommending that until a vaccine becomes available, countries stockpile Tamiflu or another neuraminidase inhibitor, presumably GlaxoSmithKline's Relenza. Roche has had orders from around 30 countries for enough doses for 20 to 40 percent of their populations. These countries include Britain, France and Germany. The WHO says just 40 countries have national contingency plans for a flu pandemic.
Bird flu found in another Siberian province
Bird flu has been found in a seventh Siberian province, the Altai Republic.
Dog Alerts Neighbors When Woman Collapses
A woman was glad to have fostered a dog after it attracted neighbour's attention when she collapsed with a diabetic fainting spell.
Index of topics in this series.
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