Obama announces new rules to clean up car exhausts.

President Obama intends to introduce new gasoline rules

This April, the Obama administration has announced its intentions to propose new gasoline rules that are intended to clean up smog in car exhausts.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the proposed new standards for gasoline sulfur would drastically reduce smog, soot, and dangerous emissions from car exhaust. It said the new rules would also make it easier for the auto industry to meet tougher standards for tailpipe emissions from new cars. The new standards would help the US meet global standards and have significant public health benefits. About a third of Americans live in neighbourhoods where air pollution is higher than government limits.

A spokesperson for the EPA has said "The Obama administration has taken a series of steps to reinvigorate the auto industry and ensure that the cars of tomorrow are cleaner, more efficient and saving drivers money at the pump. Today's proposed standards – which will save thousands of lives and protect the most vulnerable – are the next step in our work to protect public health and will provide the American automotive industry with the certainty they need to offer the same car models in all 50 states."

The new standards would require refiners to reduce gasoline sulfur levels by more than 60%, down to 10 parts per million by 2017. Refineries in Europe and Japan are already operating on or moving towards the new lower sulfur standards.

The proposed new rules on gasoline sulfur had initially been expected in 2011, but were delayed until after the US presidential election in November of 2012 with fears that it could possibly damage Presidnet Obama's reelection chances.

President Obama's new gasoline rules were met with great support throughout America

The annoucment was met with great support throughout the environment community, both in America and international. A spokesperson for the Clean Vehicle Programme for the Union of Concerned Scientists has said: "This is a stellar encore to the fuel efficiency main act. Together, these standards represent the largest step in our nation's history toward reducing harmful emissions from the vehicles we drive every day."

However propmenmts of the announcement has said the new rules would add nearly 10 cents to the cost of a gallon of gas.