Gov't Will Slash Greenhouse Emissions: Obama

Federal standard replaces patchwork

(NEWSER) - President Obama will announce plans for new national automobile fuel-economy and emissions standards tomorrow, overhauling and streamlining the current patchwork, sources tell Politico. The move will harmonize the CAFE standard and the EPA’s greenhouse-gas standard, so that struggling automakers needn’t fear the regulations moving independently. The announcement will also likely appease California, which had been asking for permission to institute its own, tougher caps. More»

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama announced a drastic change in the nation’s energy policy today, beginning with an executive order allowing states to raise their fuel efficiency standards. "America will not be held hostage to dwindling resources,” Obama said. “Today I announce the first steps on our journey to energy independence.” The first of those steps: telling the EPA to review requests from 15 states to tighten fuel efficiency standards. More»

White House report says we're closer to achieving energy security goals

(NEWSER) - The US is well on its way toward achieving President Obama's energy security goals as laid out a year ago, says an administration report out today. The White House is looking to cut oil imports by a third over the next decade, boost domestic oil and natural gas production, and promote clean energy, Politico notes. To that end, the past year saw a million fewer barrels of oil imported per day, according to the report; the US currently imports 45% of its petroleum, compared to 57% in 2008, the Los Angeles Times notes. More»

Transportation Department, EPA make new targets official

(AP) - The Obama administration is setting tough gas mileage standards for new cars and trucks, spurring the next generation of fuel-sipping gas-electric hybrids, efficient engines, and electric cars. The heads of the Transportation Department and the Environmental Protection Agency will today sign final rules requiring 2016 model-year vehicles to meet fuel efficiency targets of 35.5 miles per gallon combined for cars and trucks, an increase of nearly 10mpg over current standards. More»

Copenhagen summit yields basic deal to fight climate change

(NEWSER) - President Obama and the leaders of China, India, and South Africa reached a "meaningful agreement" tonight in Copenhagen on steps to curb greenhouse gas emissions, the White House announced. The deal requires the nations of the world to list their actions to curb emissions and sets up a framework for rich countries to pay poor nations in order to cope with the effects of climate change. The agreement is meant to limit global warming to 2° Celsius. More»