President Obama Calls for Tighter Auto Regulations

 

After only a few days in the Oval Office, President Obama is pushing for cleaner-running automobiles – a clear signal that he intends to regulate greenhouse gases.

In a White House ceremony yesterday, President Obama ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider granting California a waiver allowing it to set an auto emissions standard, setting the stage for other states to follow suit.

The President also called for the government to begin issuing regulations that will implement auto fuel efficiency standards enacted by Congress in 2007, while also directing the federal government to make its buildings more energy efficient and to find new ways for federal agencies to reduce energy.  He also ordered federal departments and agencies to find new ways to save energy and be more environmentally friendly, highlighting the elements in his $825 billion economic stimulus plan intended to create jobs around renewable energy.