New Mileage and Pollution Rules for Vehicles

Here is the link.

From the article:

Obama said the agreement that once would have been "considered impossible" was what he termed a "harbinger of a change in the way business is done in Washington."

Harbinger of Doom is more like it. Don't you love how people in power always want to demand things in the future so that the costs and problems associated with them will be paid by others after they are out of power? Not like the President will ever have to worry about his family commuting in a beer can. Not him. His family gets the armored limo for life.

This is all a wonderful side effect of the government now controlling the auto industry. When the government is the boss, nobody in the industry will lobby against new rules and regulations. Hey, they've discovered a new way to do away with lobbyists. I like my way better.

Also from the article:

While the new fuel and emission standards for cars and trucks will save billions of barrels of oil, they are expected to cost consumers an extra $1,300 per vehicle by the time the plan is complete in 2016. Obama said the fuel cost savings would offset the higher price of vehicles in three years.

Is it just me, or does anyone else doubt that the money savings will offset the other costs? I doubt it will work out that way just from the standpoint of money, but how about driver safety?

What will they have to do to get a fleet average of 39mpg? Will there be any minivans at all, and if so, what will they be like? I've got four little ones so I have a little experience hauling a crew around. I'm glad I won't have to squeeze my family into whatever they make in 2016, but I worry about my grandchildren.

How about this wonderful little item that nobody seems to be mentioning. Are there going to be new emissions test requirements to with this? I live in a county that is still rural enough to not have emissions tests, but that will probably change. I can just see counties with 2000 people living in 1000 square miles having to drive to some central location for an emissions test. Won't that be fun.