The U S and Canada “teamed” up on April 1, 2010 to set new CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards for vehicles sold in these two countries between 2012 and 2016. What does this mean? It means that new car you may be considering buying, now has to reach new “heights” for miles per gallon. The “average” mpg for US and Canadian car and light-truck fleets will now be 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016. Government officials feel that these changes will save 1.8 BILLION barrels of oil over the life of vehicles sold under the program – 2012-2016 model years.
Finally it appears that we are moving in the same direction as the EU, Japan and even China, where these standards and in some cases higher CAFE standards, have already been in place for years! In the US, CAFE standards have remained virtually unchanged for 30 years. In 1978 the average was 18.0 mpg. This has slowly crept up to 20.5 mpg in 1988, 20.8 mpg in 1998, and 22.5 mpg in 2008. This seemingly “small” change by the US and Canadian governments is the most significant measure at controlling greenhouse gases adopted by these countries in a long, long, long time! Changes for you? More money in your pocket every week when you fill up, and the satisfaction of knowing that we are collectively polluting less and lowering our greenhouse gas emissions. Bottom line – net positive all around!
A long overdue step in the right direction.
