Happy Earth Day From George W. Bush

Why is it that no matter what a Republican politician does he can never be seen as environmentally friendly? Here we are on "Earth Day" when the Bush administration released its plans to push fuel economy standards to their highest levels in U.S. history and you would have thought he'd just released his Orcs into Mirkwood with chainsaws. Come on Greenpeace, where's the love? According to reports, the new federal mileage plan is tougher than Gordie Howe on game day.

In the 2011 model year, automakers would be required to post the biggest jump to 27.8 mpg, up 2.5 mpg over the 2010 model year requirements. That equates to 31.2 mpg for passenger cars and 25 mpg for light trucks. By model year 2013, the overall average jumps to 30.5 mpg.

The final two years bring the smallest increase -- just 0.5 mpg in model year 2014 and 0.6 mpg in 2015. Manufacturers will have to meet different overall requirements, based on the footprint, or size, of their vehicle fleets.

What does that mean in real numbers?

Porsche, for example, will have to average 41.3 mpg by the 2015 model year, while Chrysler will have to meet just 33.6 mpg by 2015, based on product plans submitted to NHTSA. The energy bill approved by Congress doubled fines for automaker that don't meet fuel economy requirements.

The bill required NHTSA to set yearly requirements in order to meet a combined industry wide average of 35 mpg by 2020.

By 2015, Ford will have to average 35.5 mpg, GM 34.7 mpg and Toyota 34.6 mpg. On the light-truck side, Toyota has to average 28 mpg by 2015, Ford 28.8 mpg and GM 27.4 mpg.

So the man who liberals believe keeps his bedroll in big oil's bunkhouse has just flipped them an historic political bird. And that's not the only big business Bush is hammering with this green policy. According to a report in The Detroit News:

The 417-page proposal also confirms a Detroit News report today that it will cost automakers $47 billion to comply, including $31 billion for light trucks and $16 billion for passenger cars through 2015.

But the environmental impact will be considerable. According to U.S. Transportation Secretary, Mary Peters, "Americans will conserve 55 billion gallons of fuel during the lifetime of vehicles covered by the regulation, saving $100 billion. The proposal would reduce 521 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas."

Of course, those who keep an open mind toward the President's environmental policies are not shocked to see this proposal come out of his administration since he has previously established rigorous emission requirements for diesel engines in this country. But then, this is the guy who, prior to running for president, owned his Texas ranch that employs solar and geothermal power with a rain-water irrigation system while "environmentalist" Barbara Streisand was providing air-conditioned housing for her livestock. Seems to me that if we really want to clean up the earth it may require cleaning out the political agenda of the environmental movement with the Hoover of truth.