SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
LAS VEGAS – Nevada conservation groups are welcoming new fuel economy rules that will almost double the efficiency of cars and trucks over the next 13 years. The move is expected to reduce pollution and dependence of imported foreign oil and spur innovation by vehicle manufacturers.
The fuel economy rules were announced Tuesday and will increase the efficiency average of vehicle manufacturers to nearly 55 miles per gallon. The Obama administration worked with vehicle manufacturers to draft the rule, which has the support of 13 car and truck manufacturers. The 2012 standards set combined truck and car mileage efficiency at just under 30 miles per gallon.
“Nevadans want more choices when it comes to their vehicles and fuel economy,” said Nevada Conservation League Executive Director Scot Rutledge today. “Improved gas mileage will help Nevadans save money and will reduce emissions of tailpipe pollution that threatens our community’s health.”
The efficiency standards announced today are the second of two phases announced by the Obama administration. The first, announced in 2010, mandates Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards to reach 34 miles per gallon by 2016.
Stan Hanel, a member of the Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association, said the announcement today will spur further development and sales of electric vehicles and hybrids, which use much less gasoline than traditional vehicles and produce much less pollution.
“We will see the benefits of the improved CAFE standards in cleaner skies in Las Vegas and improvements in our respiratory health,” said Hanel, who writes a regular column in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Reduced use and dependence on imported oil even brings down the cost of gasoline for those who continue to use older vehicle technologies. This is a common-sense win for everyone.”
A retired U.S. Air Force officer, Jane Feldman of Las Vegas, noted that reducing dependence on imported oil means that the American military will no longer have to patrol dangerous parts of the planet. “Reducing our dependence on oil foreign or domestic is a strategic move to make both our nation and our military safer from outside forces,” she said. “By 2030, both rounds of vehicle standards will cut oil use by 3.1 million barrels of oil per day. That’s the amount of oil we currently import from the Persian Gulf and Venezuela combined.”
