Tag Archives: fuel efficiency standards

Fighting Cholera in Haiti / Fresh Water Funds for Jordan / A Boost For African Farmers

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The U.S. is moving to speed aid to help Haiti fight a deadly cholera outbreak. Jordan is getting fresh water aid. In Africa, they’re turning to an age-old construction technique.  The U.S. enforces new fuel rules for trucks and buses. With just weeks remaining before its election, Sudan has its work cut out for it. And, finally, a photo gallery on a program to share agricultural techniques with African farmers.

U.S. Cholera Aid for Haiti
In response to the outbreak of cholera in Haiti, the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince issued a disaster declaration to speed U.S. funding and medical assistance to the country in recent days. Cholera has killed 259 people and infected more than 3,000 others in Haiti. At right, women cover their mouths and noses as they wait for their children to be treated for cholera symptoms.


A Grant for Jordan’s Water
The Obama administration is investing $275 million through the Millennium Challenge Corporation to help provide nearly two million Jordanians with reliable access to clean water and to address water scarcity.

Building Earthen Structures
Two American professors are sharing knowledge with Saudis on how to build, maintain and restore earthen structures, using natural resources such as soil, through a U.S. Embassy speakers program. Earthen construction may be more practical than modern construction techniques because of its durability and because it has a milder environmental impact.

Big Rigs Face New Fuel Rules
For the first time in U.S. history, the government is imposing fuel efficiency standards for trucks and buses, starting with vehicles that hit the market in 2013. The U.S. Department of Transportation says the new rules will save 500 million barrels of oil for vehicles of the model years 2014 through 2018, and 250 tons of greenhouse gas emissions during the life-time of the trucks.

In Sudan, the Vote Approaches
Authorities in Sudan face a tight deadline to complete preparations for a crucial set of votes in January that will decide on independence for Southern Sudan and Abyei, says General Scott Gration, the U.S. special envoy for Sudan. He called on the parties to come to a new round of talks in Ethiopia in late October “with an attitude of compromise.”

An African Delegation Learns about U.S. Agriculture
Recently, the U.S. welcomed African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) ministers and delegates to the Ninth AGOA Forum, in Kansas City Missouri, where the visitors got the chance to observe American agricultural practices first-hand. Find out more about their trip in this photo gallery. At left, delegates participate in a lively discussion with American farmer Tom Waters on chicken farming and feed strategy.

Obama proposes new fuel efficiency standards for vehicles

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Barack Obama

“We have set in motion a national policy aimed at both increasing gas mileage and decreasing greenhouse gas pollution for all new trucks and cars sold in the United States of America,” President Obama said at the White House May 19.

The president’s plan, which would increase vehicles’ fuel efficiency standards over the next five years, is getting a lot of attention in both American and foreign media. “The goal is to set one national standard that will rapidly increase fuel efficiency, without compromising safety, by an average of 5 percent each year between 2012 and 2016,” Obama said.

While many federal agencies, state governments and car companies have said they support the president’s plan, it is still officially at this point just a proposal. Like other federal regulations, President Obama’s proposal will have to be formally drafted, reviewed, published in the Federal Register and open to the public for comment. It would provide a joint set of standards issued by the Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

By raising fuel efficiency standards to an average of 35.5 miles per gallon (15.09 kilometers per liter) on vehicles made in model years 2012 through 2016, approximately 1.8 billion barrels of oil would be saved and greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by 900 million metric tons, the White House says. President Obama says the new rules will not impact consumers’ choices and ultimately will save Americans money on gas. What do you think of his proposal?