Obama moves on auto fuel efficiency

Obama orders push to cleaner, more efficient cars

President Barack Obama opened an ambitious, double-barreled assault on global warming and U.S. energy woes Monday, moving quickly toward rules requiring cleaner-running cars that guzzle less gas - a must, he said, for "our security, our economy and our planet...." 

Obama also meant to set a tone with his promises: Science will trump ideology and special interests, attention will stay high even when gas prices fall.

Sounds good so far.

...Obama took a major step toward allowing California and other states to target greenhouse gases through more stringent auto emission standards, and he ordered new federal rules directing automakers to start making more fuel-efficient cars as required by law.

Something that Bush would vetoed in the past if I'm not mistaken. He was certainly hostile to the idea.

The auto industry responded warily. Reducing planet-warming emissions is a great idea, carmakers and dealers said, but they expressed deep concern about costly regulations and conflicting state and federal rules at a time when people already are not buying cars. U.S. auto sales plunged 18 percent in 2008.

Predictable. Automakers want their billions in bailout money and legislation to slash workers' wages, but they don't want to be accountable or responsible, but to carry on business as they have always done.

The auto industry responded warily. Reducing planet-warming emissions is a great idea, carmakers and dealers said, but they expressed deep concern about costly regulations and conflicting state and federal rules at a time when people already are not buying cars. U.S. auto sales plunged 18 percent in 2008.

So much for the honeymoon I guess as republicans continue their role as industry shills.

Read Obama's full comments here.