“President Obama’s new proposed mileage and emissions rules will help set the nation on an ambitious course to reduce greenhouse gases. I congratulate him on this proposal, which our nation has long needed. The rules will put Detroit back on track to be competitive globally, as well as clean the air and protect the planet. 

“Fuel efficient cars and trucks are critical to combating climate change, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and creating a viable future for the U.S. auto industry.  For years, Washington failed to seriously address this issue, and the ‘new’ standards enacted two years ago would have taken until 2020 to bring the average US fuel economy to where it is in China today.

“New York has been on the forefront of this issue – converting our City fleet to include more fuel efficient vehicles and creating incentives to encourage other heavily-driven vehicles, our yellow taxis – to transition to more efficient models. This is a great day for our country and for our climate.”