But, that's not all!
Obama also tackled the #2 source of man-made global warming pollution with finalization of the clean car rules. The Union of Concerned Scientists released a statement on the expected impact of new regulations on emissions and fuel economy.
* Reduce U.S. oil consumption by 1.2 million barrels per day by 2020, more petroleum than the United States presently imports from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait combined;
* Cut global warming emissions by 209 million metric tons in 2020, the equivalent of taking nearly 31 million of today's cars and light trucks off the road that year;
* Save drivers $34 billion in 2020 even after they pay the cost of vehicle technology improvements. (This is based on $2.75 per gallon. If gas prices spike to $4 a gallon again, the new standards would save drivers $58 billion in 2020.)
* Create up to 20,000 new jobs in the auto industry and up to 200,000 nationwide by 2020.
New Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune referred to the state clean car campaigns that happened in Illinois and elsewhere:
Sierra Club pushed hard to pass the California law that set the stage for these standards, our members pushed for the Calfornia standards to be adopted in more than a dozen other states across the country, and we defended them all the way to the Supreme Court. The ambitious standards being finalized today were made possible by these years of hard work and we are delighted to see them become the law of the land.
Yes, this is a big f-ing deal too. These federal rules are essential, but of course, there's more to do at the state and local level (there always is).
If it were up to me, these would be our next steps to reduce pollutants from transportation.
1) Reduce sprawl and design cities to be people-friendly instead of auto-dependent. That includes better mass transit, bike paths, and walkable neighborhoods.
2) Produce more affordable electric cars and plug-in hybrids. There's no reason to procrastinate while we hope for a breakthrough in hydrogen fuel cells or cellulosic ethanol. Technology for electric cars is here and ready to go.
3) Implement smart grid technologies that help plug-ins work well with renewable energy sources and re-charge the grid.
Those three steps will reduce global warming pollutants while we break America's addiction to oil, both foreign and domestic.