Now that the NHTSA has outlined plans which would require the fleet of cars to reach 35.7 miles per gallon on average and light trucks to hit 28.6, we've heard many opinions regarding the regulations. The automakers seem content with the plans, just so long as the regulations are nationwide, not state-by-state. According to the NADA, car dealers will be going along with the notion as well. Andrew Koblenz, NADA vice president for legal and regulatory affairs said in a statement (pasted after the jump), "We are especially pleased to see this national approach to fuel economy start to take shape; it should be given a chance to succeed," adding that the regulation "stands in stark contrast to the California approach which is untested, fails to look at the impact on the national economy, limits consumer choice and ignores concerns about passenger safety."

NADA notes that the national standard would reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil and cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. Koblenz calls the fuel economy target "aggressive," but suggests that it's for the good of the consumer in the long run.

As mentioned, General Motors' CEO Rick Wagoner has urged his dealers to oppose states which want to set their own greenhouse gas emissions regulations, which would go above and beyond what U.S. government regulations already require. "We need to work together to educate policymakers at the state and local levels on the importance of tough but national standards," he said, adding that GM would not "be able to accomplish everything that we otherwise could," if states set regulations which were different than the rest of the country. The response from the NADA group seems to agree with the GM corporate stance. Wagoner also suggested that car dealers and automakers should work together to help create an alternative fuel infrastructure which would allow more consumers access to ethanol and, eventually, hydrogen.

These remarks were made at the 2008 National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) meeting in San Francisco. Dealers for huge automakers like GM are able to reach more local and state officials than GM is able to do itself, meaning that their lobbying efforts are very important. California has been setting their own regulations regarding fuel mileage for a while now, and it is true that meeting the state's regulations, along with those in the rest of the U.S., has been difficult at times.

[Source: The Detroit News]