Opinion - New fuel efficiency standards

New Federal standards announced last week call for an increase in the fuel efficiency of vehicles.

The new standards require an average of 35.5 miles per gallon for new vehicles by 2016.

Many new vehicles reach that standard now. The kicker is that fleet averages, not just selected models, will have to achieve that mark.

The new standards also will control greenhouse gas emissions.

The ruling calls for the development of new vehicles with new technology. Many of these are close to reaching the roads anyway. Even the new cars on the market now generally reflect industry-wide efforts to achieve...