Ideal Bite

Last year, I ranted hardcore about the fact that the director of the EPA wouldn't let CA go ahead with its own strict car emissions laws. Now, it's new administration, new policy. The big news yesterday of course was Obama's auto emissions plan, which calls for way greener cars by 2016.

One of the “tragedies” of the new plan, according to naysayers, is that cars are gonna cost more initially. They're right. But in addition to the cash drivers will save at the pump (more efficient cars = less gas to buy), the haters aren't taking into account the potential billions of dollars in health care costs, not to mention the thousands of lives we'll save each year.

Less car pollution is basically preventative medicine - it'll mean fewer sick days, fewer deaths, and less spending on health care. As a result, the experts point to us saving a lot by going green with our cars.

Like in this study from the American Lung Association, which says that ousting car emissions could save us up to $142 billion by 2030 in CA alone.

Or these ones from USC and the American Cancer Society, outlining the chronic health problems caused by auto pollution.

Or this one from Cal State Fullerton, showing that in SoCal, air pollution kills more people than car crashes, at about 3,800 per year.

These savings won't happen overnight, for sure, but ultimately they're worth a lot more than the extra $1,300 Obama's tacking on to the price tag of your next Hummer...well, if the Hummer brand hadn't been all but discontinued in the U.S. 

-Toshio...off to reserve a Zipcar...

From DT