Michael Giberson
Gasoline prices are relatively high and we’re well into the 2012 political campaign, so that means we have presidential wannabees and a wannabee-reelected promising to pass out candy to voters faster than a newly split piñata.
In North Carolina yesterday President Obama announced a $1 billion initiative for a “National Community Deployment Challenge to help selected communities invest in necessary infrastructure.” That effort promises to subsidize the building of electric vehicle recharging stations, or natural gas vehicle recharging stations, or “other alternative fuels [whichever] would be the best fit.”
About the only thing encouraging about that line was the President was embarrassed to say “ethanol” out loud.
But I found this discussion of automobile fuel economy standards notable, from the Detroit Free Press:
Obama was in North Carolina to discuss what the White House called “Daimler’s commitment to increasing fuel economy standards.” The White House and automakers agreed to new fuel standards for model years 2011 to 2025 that will push average fuel efficiency to 54.5 miles per gallon in the next 13 years. The administration says that could save consumers $1.7-trillion in fuel costs, or roughly $8,200 per gallon.
The higher standards will save consumers roughly $8,200 per gallon???!!?
Well, in that case I favor the higher fuel economy standards.
Is that composed of $4 per gallon in price reductions plus $8,196 per gallon in “tax expenditures”? 🙂
Well, I can hardly wait to hear what 30 year old Georgetown law school students have to say about this kind of suffering.