fuel efficiency

In June, when the Cash-for-Clunkers program — which provided a government subsidy to people who traded in older low-mileage vehicles to buy new, supposedly better-mileage vehicles — was humming to the tune of $1 billion, we wrote a piece warning that the program was hardly the environmental benefit its Capitol Hill supporters were claiming. Instead, [...]

The Obama administration on Tuesday outlined a new set of proposed rules for automobile fuel efficiency and emissions. The new rules follow an  announcement in May that the administration had reached a deal with automakers and state governments to create a unified national standard.
“This action will give our auto companies some long-overdue clarity, stability and [...]

Even as it’s releasing frequent updates on the money being spent under the hugely popular “Cash for Clunkers” program, the Obama administration is still refusing to reveal details about what cars are being scrapped and sold.
The Department of Transportation released figures Wednesday indicating that, as of yesterday morning, more than 316,000 new vehicles have been [...]

With the enormously popular cash for clunkers program soon to exhaust its $1 billion allotment, the Senate on Thursday passed legislation providing an additional $2 billion, which the lawmakers hope will see the program through the month.
The vote — 60 to 37 — came less than a week after the House approved the same proposal. [...]

As Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced last night, the Senate this afternoon will consider seven amendments before voting on a proposed $2 billion extension for the popular cash for clunkers program, which has nearly exhausted its initial $1 billion funding.
The amendments are:
1) Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa): To limit the provision of vouchers to [...]

Following through on earlier promises, the Environmental Protection Agency today approved a request by the state of California to fight global warming by reining in auto emissions. Because 13 other states and the District of Columbia have jumped on California’s waiver proposal, the move effectively creates a new national emissions standard that will force the [...]

Yesterday, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) introduced an amendment ostensibly aimed at getting gas guzzlers off the streets in favor of more fuel efficient vehicles. As Aaron pointed out earlier this week, it really isn’t designed to do that at all, instead offering thousands of dollars to car buyers if they pluck large and otherwise unwanted [...]

The Obama administration’s move today to install strict new fuel efficiency and emission standards for the nation’s vehicles has left some Michigan Democrats in a bind. On one hand, they have a long history of protecting their famously regional industry from new regulations, including stricter fuel efficiency standards. On the other hand, they don’t want [...]

Following up on earlier reports that the White House this week will announce new national standards for vehicle fuel efficiency, The New York Times is reporting that the strategy is to adopt the strict mileage floors proposed in recent years by California and a number of other states. The effect, The Times reports, “will be [...]

Just in from Politico: President Obama is set to announce new fuel efficiency standards Tuesday in an effort to defuse automaker criticisms that a patchwork of state emission standards would force the industry into the expensive task of making different sets of vehicles to meet different sets of regional requirements.
California, for example, has proposed to [...]