Proposed new fuel efficiency standards for vehicles could help Wisconsin drivers save at the pump.
The new clean car guidelines offered by President Obama would require most new passenger vehicles to almost double their gas mileage over the next 13 years. They would require cars and light trucks built between 2017 and 2025 to meet an average fuel efficiency standard equivalent to 54 miles per gallon, compared to the current standard of about 28 miles per gallon.
Megan Severson with Wisconsin Environment says the higher efficiency would help cut fuel costs for many drivers, with an average annual savings of about $571 million by 2030. For the average family, that would break down to about $240 a year in savings.
Severson says it would also have a major impact on pollution. She says it would be about the equivalent of shutting down 71 coal fired power plants for a year.
Federal officials say the new standards would add about $2,000 to the cost of a new passenger vehicle. A public comment period on the proposed standards is currently underway.
AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (1:06)