Now it's pen-on-paper official: President Bush signs 35 mpg CAFE into law
Not that there was any real question, but the 35 mpg CAFE deed is now done. President Bush signed the huge new energy bill into law this morning, and that means that automakers will need to have the average fleet economy of new vehicles reach 35 mpg by 2020. We don't need rehash the history of this repeatedly-weakened bill once again (see previous posts here and here if you need a recap); let's just be thankful that the 35 mpg standard survived all the backing down. And the Detroit News mentions this: "a measure in the bill that will provide at least $90 million annually for battery research to make plug-in hybrids a reality." Somehow I thought the PHEV money had been stricken. Hey, it's nice to be wrong. While the 35 mpg number won't kick in until 2020, the bill mandates changes starting with the 2011 model year. My, that's soon.
[Source: David Shepardson, The Detroit News, Photo by Shawn Thew-Pool/Getty]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dave 1:51PM (12/19/2007)
I wonder home many Volts or Roadsters could be on the road TODAY if we spent the 300 billion on EVs rather than the Iraq war. Idiots.
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Tim 2:08PM (12/19/2007)
What a picture! It gives me the creeps just looking at all those evil monsters.
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bjd002004 2:41PM (12/19/2007)
Hey Sebastian,
When you find out, could you provide more detail on the $90 million per year funding for plug-ins? Who distributes the funds? How many years is this program? Who stands to receive the funding? Is it USCAR, or is there a competetive bid or selection process?
$90 million per year is a significant leap over prior DOE funding in the realm of battery research grants.
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MarkR 2:55PM (12/19/2007)
Evil Monsters? All I saw was a bunch of ordinary American people, no different from you and me.
And I don't see in the previous articles were the bill got weaker before it became law. Its no secret Bush has wanted to reduce dependence on foreign oil I'm just glad the Dems. and Repubs. were able to hash it out and one of his goals met. it took 30 years for them to work it out but maybe we can keep the ball rolling now.
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Mort 3:05PM (12/19/2007)
$90 million is a cynical bone, to be sure. This bill, and the entire fed gub, sux rox.
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BGJ 11:53AM (12/20/2007)
Wait a minute, I didn't think Mr. Decider knew how to agree with anything that Dems want. He must have lost his veto pen.
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EnviroBob 10:50PM (12/20/2007)
Yea for socialism!
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