This is a guest post from Jesse Prentice-Dunn of the Sierra Club's Clean Cars Program.
Happy Waiver Day, everyone! For the past year, California and 15 other states have waited for the EPA to approve their request to set greenhouse gas standards for motor vehicles. Well, after quite some time and a denial from the Bush administration, the wait is almost over. This morning President Obama directed the EPA to reconsider California's request, which would force automakers to produce cleaner, more efficient vehicles.
Now I'm not sure if you read the paper before you get going, but browsing today's Washington Post had a slight feeling of Christmas morning. While Obama's executive order will not cause the California clean car waiver to be granted instantly, it shows that we have a President who understands that making our cars and trucks more efficient is the biggest single step we can take to curb global warming and save oil. It means that we have a President who is following through on his campaign promises to make global warming a priority. And it gives me hope that we'll actually cut through partisan gridlock and pass desperately needed policies that make our cars cleaner and our communities more livable and efficient.
Comments