Guest column: Going green, getting green with new mileage standards

By Mark Schauer/ BlueGreen Alliance

The first Model T rolled off the assembly line to great excitement about the future of an emerging industry -- and the potential for this new product to take Americans places they'd never been before. More than 100 years later, the auto industry is a keystone of the American economy.

Again there’s excitement and anticipation over the next generation of cars, except this time it’s not where cars will take us, but how.

Last year, through the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation, President Obama proposed new fuel economy and greenhouse gas pollution standards that will make a cleaner, more fuel efficient auto fleet a reality.

The proposed standards would reach the equivalent of 54.5 miles per gallon and 163 grams of carbon dioxide per mile (g/mi) for the average new vehicle in 2025, clearing the way for American-made cars to become top competitors in the global clean transportation markets, transporting us faster, cleaner, and more efficiently than ever before.

Responding to the consumer call to improve fuel efficiency will yield big benefits for the U.S. economy. In our just-published report, "Gearing Up: Smart Standards Create Good Jobs Building Cleaner Jobs," the BlueGreen Alliance estimated that 570,000 jobs would be created, including 50,000 in light-duty vehicle manufacturing (parts and vehicle assembly), by the year 2030.　

Real wages are projected to increase even faster than job growth. Higher fuel efficiency standards will create about 20,000 jobs in the clean manufacturing sector, significantly contributing to a healthier national economy, while lowering Michigan’s unemployment rate.

This investment in clean cars demonstrates a sound commitment to sustainability, growth in local communities, and jobs and the economy. It also prepares us to take on our automotive and manufacturing competitors around the world.

The bottom line is: In driving the next generation of American-made vehicles, you will be traveling farther for each gallon of gas you put in your tank, making fewer trips to the gas station and getting more car and more miles for each dollar you spend.

These proposed standards aren’t something to be afraid of. Cars have undergone tremendous changes over the past century, adding key safety features and technology along the way. Despite these many changes and improvements, doubling fuel economy before 2025 is without a doubt one of the single most significant improvements in a generation. It’s a change that will doubtless allow Americans and their favorite mode of transportation to meet the challenges of a 21st century economy.