skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, February 6, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Judge pauses deadline for federal workers to accept Trump's resignation offer; CA state lawmakers take action to enact safeguards against federal immigration enforcement; Study shows air quality disparities from industrial ag in NC.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Attorney General Pam Bondi strikes a Trump tone at the Justice Department, federal workers get more time to consider buyouts, and an unclassified email request from the White House worries CIA vets.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

During Black History Month, a new book shares how a unique partnership built 5,000 schools for Black students, anti-hunger advocates say ag communities would benefit from an expanded SNAP program, and Americans have $90 billion in unpaid medical bills.

Survey: PA drivers want carmakers to keep improving fuel efficiency

play audio
Play

Thursday, January 30, 2025   

Americans continue to see improving fuel economy as the most significant change they want from vehicle manufacturers when they offer new products. A new Consumer Reports survey shows strong support in Pennsylvania and beyond for regulations that lower fuel costs and emissions.

Chris Harto, senior policy analyst for transportation and energy with Consumer Reports, says the survey reveals consumers don't trust automakers to actually deliver those fuel savings without regulations.

"Only 27% of Americans said that automakers care about lowering fuel costs for their customers. On the other hand, almost two thirds of Americans, 64%, agree that the U.S. government should continue to increase fuel economy standards," Harto explained.

President Donald Trump's recent executive order ended the EV mandate, and Harto worries says the new administration may weaken standards, putting future consumer savings at risk. He added that if left in place, these standards could save drivers an additional $6,000 in fuel costs over the next five years.

Harto said automakers can improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions by enhancing aerodynamics, reducing vehicle weight and leveraging hybrid technology, and added that their analysis of the top 10 best-selling conventional hybrid cars and trucks can offer substantial long-term savings.

"Increase in price is only about $1,500 but they deliver thousands and thousands of dollars in fuel savings the life of the vehicle," he added. "It comes out to about $5 in fuel savings for every $1 in increased vehicle price."

Improvements in fuel economy and emission standards have translated to "massive" savings, according to Consumer Reports, including fuel savings of more than $9,000 for the average new car today, compared with cars produced in 2001.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service, Mississippi has the highest rates of food insecurity in the nation. (Katerina Holmes/Pexels)

Social Issues

play sound

Mississippi families struggling with food insecurity are bracing for another difficult summer after state officials declined millions in federal fundi…


Environment

play sound

Some experts predict arable land per person will shrink by two-thirds by 2050. To combat it, Michigan students are being trained in "smart" …

Environment

play sound

A new study by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality found nitrate levels have continued to rise across the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater …


Some $45 million in tax credits for home energy and efficiency upgrades have benefited more than 21,000 Mainers, according to the Natural Resources Council of Maine. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Conservation groups in Maine are calling on the state's congressional delegation to protect federal funding for clean energy technologies. A new …

play sound

Atlantic menhaden weigh less than a pound and measure little more than a foot long but the small fish has big consequences for the Chesapeake Bay ecos…

Social Issues

play sound

In rural states such as South and North Dakota and large urban centers around the U.S., protests were held Wednesday amid fears about the first wave …

Environment

play sound

On the heels of a regulatory victory, utilities and various energy groups in Minnesota are expressing more optimism about the region's power grid - …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021