Obama to Call for 35.5 MPG Standard by 2016

by | May 18, 2009

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gaspump5911President Obama is expected to announce much higher mileage standards for cars sold in the U.S. market, beginning in 2012 and ramping up by 2016.

By 2016, every carmaker’s Corporate Average Fleet Economy (CAFE) would have to be 35.5 miles per gallon, weighted by sales, according to Bloomberg.  By 2016, light trucks would have to meet a standard of 30 mpg, and the average for cars would be 39 mpg.

Congress in 2007 approved a measure requiring automakers to meet a target of 35 mpg by 2020, so Obama’s standard accelerates the effort.

Obama hopes to set a national standard to avoid a patchwork of differing state standards. California, which has sought a federal waiver to set its own greenhouse-gas emissions standard under state law, has agreed to defer to Obama’s national standard, reports Reuters.

In related news, House Democrats on May 18 proposed doubling the amount of loans to U.S. automakers to promote research into fuel-efficient vehicles.

Detroit had sought $50 billion last fall but Congress approved $25 billion. The new request is for $50 billion, according to the Detroit Free Press.

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