President Barack Obama announced a plan to raise emission and fuel standards in hopes to produce better fuel efficiency, ultimately leading to a cleaner environment. The plan proposes that automobiles will have to reach around 35.5 miles per a gallon by 2016. Details of the plan include regulating tailpipe emissions and a raised national standard on miles per a gallon; along with Bush’s 2007 fuel efficiency law and temporary regulations to jump start the process. Although the immediate reaction is criticism, officials note that the long term benefits will outweigh the immediate costs. So, while an instant burden may be placed on manufacturers and buyers, the future holds great potential.
One potential benefit of the future would be cheaper prices at the gas pump. Anyone driving a new fuel efficient car will notice the amount saved at the pump. The saved money pays back for the extra expense of buying the new manufactured cars. Long story short, fuel efficient cars are money efficient. Furthermore, spending less money on gasoline means, obviously, less gasoline is being purchased. White House officials claim the decrease in purchase nationwide would save around 1.8 billion gallons of oil consumption over the lifetime of the program.
Cleaner roads are another product of raised emission and fuel standards. Driving diesel trucks, gas guzzling hummers, and any other current form of carbon monoxide automobiles pollutes the road. While new cars will still function with gasoline, the byproduct, carbon monoxide, is decreased. CO gases are causes for green house gases and global warming. The reduction of poisonous byproducts is hailed by environmentalists. White House officials agree with the environmentalists stating that most Americans want cleaner air, water, nature—environment.
A general consensus over Obama and his advocates is the pros outweigh the cons. Critics may claim that initial car costs go up and safety goes down. However, consumers will still be provided with choice in car selection. Similar to current cars each one has their own safety rating and the choice is the consumers. Any way to put, the sleek efficient cars save money and the environment, save green and green, saves paper and trees.
