SEARCH
New Fuel Standards Protect Environment and Workers |
|
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney praised today’s agreement on nationwide fuel economy standards as “a major step forward and a victory for America’s workers, consumers and the environment.”
The agreement, announced today by President Obama, requires vehicle carbon dioxide emissions be reduced by about one-third. Under the changes, the overall fleet average would have to be 35.5 miles per gallon (mpg) by 2016, with passenger cars reaching 39 mpg and light trucks hitting 30 mpg. Manufacturers also would be required to hit individual mileage targets.
UAW President Ron Gettelfinger, who attended the White House announcement, praised Obama’s leadership in bringing together auto industry leaders, workers, environmental groups and state and federal government officials to develop the new standards.
President Obama and his team showed real leadership by bringing everyone to the table to reach an innovative agreement. The final standards will be stringent, but will have support throughout industry, government and the environmental community.
In seperate statements, Gettelfinger and Sweeney said the agreement will help protect workers by treating full-line manufacturers fairly, maintaining a distinction between cars and light trucks and applying to all automakers.
The agreement also calls for continuing credits for flex-fuel vehicles and continuing incentives for small-car production here in the United States, which Gettelfinger says is “a capability that is vital to protecting jobs and our nation’s long-term energy security.”
Sweeney added that the plan
shows that protecting our environment and creating good paying jobs can go hand in hand and America’s workers are proud to do their part toward achieving this deal.
2 Comments
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
The best way to protect this nation’s long term energy security is to drill for oil and build nuclear power plants. My ‘98 Cadillac De Ville got 27mpg at 85mph, why would I want to buy a tinfoil car to get a few more miles to the gallon?
Here at America’s Power, we know not everyone is following what’s happening in Washington, but right now there’s a hotly debated bill in Congress called Waxman-Markey that deals with the issue of climate change.
We need a climate plan that’s affordable and effective. Americans should support a plan that:
• Achieves emissions reductions
• Creates jobs
• Preserves fuel diversity as a means of promoting greater energy independence
• Protects consumers against unnecessarily
high energy costs
We support a federal plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but the Waxman-Markey bill needs to do more to guarantee that consumers are protected from unnecessary increases in energy costs. Because without these changes the bill is not affordable – and therefore, not effective.
To find out more about America’s Power’s stance on Waxman-Markey, watch our video. http://www.sn.im/balenergy