WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 16, 2011) After the Obama administration today issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking setting forth a national vehicle fuel-efficiency and pollution standard reaching 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, the BlueGreen Alliance released the following statement from Executive Director David Foster:

“A national program of strong vehicle fuel-efficiency and pollution standards is the right step to take at the right time to help save consumers money at the gas pump and create new American jobs.

“America sends an estimated $1 billion daily to foreign countries to pay for oil. The standards for passenger cars and light trucks proposed by the Obama administration will keep more of those dollars here in the United States, set the stage for weaning America off its foreign oil addiction, and result in the long-term reductions in greenhouse gas pollution we need to create a sustainable clean energy economy.

“Producing cleaner cars to meet consumer demand could create as many as 190,000 jobs through 2020. Combined with the administration’s other efforts on energy efficiency, the U.S. will save an estimated 12 billion barrels of oil – nearly four years’ worth of consumption by light-duty vehicles at current levels. The standards will reduce carbon dioxide pollution by over 6 billion metric tons from 2017 to 2025 model year cars – equivalent to the total carbon dioxide pollution from the United States each year.

“Delivering much cleaner, more-efficient cars to the market can guarantee the best possible outcome for American workers, our communities, the economy, and the environment. We look forward to working with our partners to ensure that a strong national program of vehicle standards is implemented, and that these strong standards create quality jobs across the country and set the stage for American leadership in the 21st century global economy.”