I naively figured that the Bush administration was reacting to public criticism of rising oil prices; but this short item from the Washington Post yesterday highlights some other more cynical reasons for the new fuel effciency standards, ineffective as they are:
The Bush administration proposed modest increases in fuel efficiency standards for light trucks and SUVs that will give a competitive boost to struggling domestic makers General Motors and Ford . Energy savings would be modest: 10 billion gallons of gas — the rough equivalent of 25 days of consumption — spread over nearly two decades. The rules are meant to preempt more stringent requirements passed by California, which several others states had threatened to adopt. Hummers and other large trucks would remain unregulated.
Less than one month’s consumption saved over 20 years. Boy, that’s conservation.
