NRDC Statement on President Obama's Announcement to Fight Global Warming and Move to Clean Energy

WASHINGTON (January 26, 2009) -- President Obama took swift action on the environment and energy this morning by directing the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider the California waiver and the Department of Transportation to raise national fuel efficiency standards.

Following is a statement from Frances Beinecke, President of the Natural Resources Defense Council:

“What a thrilling moment to have our new president put his vision into action for a cleaner and safer environment. President Obama’s announcement is a big step in fulfilling his campaign promises for a clean energy economy that will move America beyond oil, create new jobs and reduce global warming pollution. This is a strong signal to the world that America is ready to quickly step forward as a leader in the fight against global warming.”

Specifically, these actions will:

* Require that new cars sold in California and at least 13 other states reduce their global warming pollution by 30 percent between 2009 and 2016.

* Ensure that America will have more fuel-efficient new cars by 2010 (model year 2011).

* Enable new cars to achieve the maximum feasible average fuel efficiency by 2020.

Source: The Natural Resources Defense Council