Wednesday, May 04, 2005

US fuel efficiency

Improving the fuel efficiency of american vehicles is the single most important first step the US could take to turn away from the ruinous dual path of peak oil and global warming. When I heard that President Bush advocated improving CAFE standards, in his April address to the nation, I thought this was a change, possibly a piece of sanity from a government that seems to live on another planet. Unfortunately, this was, as usual, pure and dangerously misleading bullshit from the Bush administration.
Bush proposed increasing fuel efficiency to save 340,000 barrels of oil a day. This would be a modest improvement. But what the policy really proposes is to increase CAFE standards for SUVs from 20.7 mpg to 21 mpg. That doesn't sound so impressive. And, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, this change would save at most 9,400 barrels per day. Reporters asked people at the NHTSA about the white house's 340,000 barrel figure and they had no explanation.
the story, on MSNBC, is here: White House policy does little to save fuel
It seems that there is no lie, no matter how large or small, petty or how audatious, that Bush and company are not willing to use if it furthers their narrow minded, pro-business agenda.

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