Summit County Citizens Voice

This chart depicts the tremendous combined daily oil savings as a result of final and anticipated fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards for America’s cars, trucks and buses. These daily oil savings are comparable to the daily imports from the entire Persian Gulf in 2011 (99 percent of those imports come from Kuwait, Iraq and Saudi Arabia).

Along with reducing carbon emissions, consumers will cut fuel costs by $8,000 over the life of a new car

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — New fuel efficiency standards for U.S. autos set to be finalized this summer will help drivers save money at the pump and reduce American dependence on imported oil.

As the standards are phased in, they will raise the average fuel efficiency of the fleet to 54.5 miles per gallon when the targets are reaching 2025, according to the Environmental Defense Fund.

The anticipated new standards will improve emissions protections and fuel economy performance for new cars and other passenger vehicles comparable to 54.5 mpg fleet-wide in the final years when the most protective standards are in place.

The will mean savings for Americans at the pump, as the average consumer will spend about $8,000 less on gas over the lifetime of a new car.

The new standards follow two other critical steps towards better fuel efficiency and lower greenhouse gas emissions levels, including phase of the passenger vehicle standards for odel years 2012 to 2016 and  standards for large diesel trucks like 18-wheelers, garbage trucks, delivery trucks, and buses manufactured for model years 2014 to 2018.

By 2025, the daily oil savings of the combined three standards will be substantially more than the amount of oil we imported each day last year from Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia combined.

While the new standards may face resistance, polling suggests most Americans like the idea of saving money on gas, with almost 75 percent favoring the new standards. Fuel efficiency is also becoming a key selling point. One analysis of new car sales showed that the first half of 2012 set a record high in fuel efficiency.

Filed under: energy, Environment Tagged: | auto fuel standards, CAFE standards, energy, Environment, Fuel economy in automobiles, fuel efficiency, United States