http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30810514/

WASHINGTON - New cars and trucks will have to get 30 percent better mileage starting in 2016 under an Obama administration move to curb emissions tied to smog and global warming, sources said Monday.

President Barack Obama was expected to adopt the higher mileage standards on Tuesday, administration sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of the official announcement.

The new requirement will mark the first time that limits on greenhouse gases will be linked to federal standards for cars and light trucks.

While the 30 percent increase would be an average for both cars and light trucks, the percentage increase in cars would be much greater, according to the New York Times, rising from the current 27.5 mpg standard to 42 mpg starting in 2016. The average for light trucks would rise from 24 mpg to 26.2 mpg.

California, 13 other states and the District of Columbia had earlier urged the federal government to let them enact more stringent standards than the federal government's requirements. The states' regulations would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent in new cars and trucks by 2016.

Will phase in new standards
Administration sources said the Obama administration will adopt the 30 percent goal with the 2016 deadline, and will phase it in starting with 2011 vehicle models.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat and chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, thanked the Obama administration for bringing together "the federal government, the State of California, and the auto industry behind new national automobile emissions standards that follow California’s lead.

"This is good news for all of us who have fought long and hard to reduce global warming pollution, create clean energy jobs, and reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil," she added.

Environmentalists also praised the move. Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club, called it "one of the most significant efforts undertaken by any president, ever, to end our addiction to oil and seriously slash our global warming emissions."

Daniel Weiss, director of climate strategy at the Center for American Progress, described it as "a triple play: It will help move America off foreign oil, save families money and spur American businesses to take the lead in developing the job-creating, clean-energy technologies of the future."

Obama's plan also would effectively end litigation between states and automakers. The latter had opposed state-specific rules, arguing that having to meet several state standards would be much more expensive for them than just one federal rule.


The Detroit News reported that automakers were on board with the new rule because of that, and because they worked with the administration on creating a timeline for the transition.

The new federal rule would also prompt automakers to drop their lawsuit. Two car companies that have been part of the litigation, General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC, have received billions in government loans during a plunge in car sales amid a weakened economy.

Top automaker executives are expected to attend the Tuesday announcement, The Detroit News said, as are Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger

 

all the more reasons to add as to why i hate barbara boxer and obama

that and cafe standards as well as these new cafe standards are bull and are not going to happen . their system is flawed it depends on the length of the wheelbase of the vehicle . all a manufacturer needs to do is lengthen the wheelbase and bam lower needed mileage standards .


oh and it's called climate change .

 

2016? lmao

 

About dam time this happened. Should have happened 10-20 years ago. Toyota and Honda didn't drag their wheels, they are already there.

There should be no exceptions a mpg law. If the vehicle has wheels and is used on public roads it should be required to get 40 mpg.

 

well cnn changed it again. now its 35.5 mpg obama wants and wants stricter emissions crap.

 

yeah the 35mpg was the old/current cafe standards .


so .5 mpg more is fine .


42mpg to happen will require two things .

all cars get less hp , and or horrible gearing making accell go out the window , and or all cars get smaller and lighter .


oh and cafe standards will kill brands like porsche , ferrari , smart such like that .


porsche and lambo and ferrari will just pay millions or billions in exceptions .

 

Say bye bye to turbo 4 cylinders, v6s (performance oriented), and the v8 is guaranteed a painful death (minus trucks). Oh and now that you get this awesome gas mileage, you'll be seeing taxes on fuel going up (less gas use = less tax revenue). Same amount of cars on the road so they have to get the money from somewhere to maintain our highways.

 

A turbo, the number of cylinders or even an internal combustion engine are not requirements to make a vehicle perform. A light weight 4 banger, can be just as fast, toss-able and fun to drive as any turbo/v6/v8. For example, a super bike can be the fastest thing on the road and and yet only have a naturally aspirated 4 cylinder engine. Even a pure electric or hybrid can out perform a v8. As far as taxes: there is no difference in paying for a greater amount of cheap fuel compared to paying for a lesser amount of expensive fuel.

 

I am a little confused with the 35.5 MPG rating. Do they mean the cars have to reach or exceed at least 35.5 MPG on the freeway or do they mean when averaging the city and freeway?