President Barack Obama on Monday afternoon issued a series of executive orders that reverse Bush administration policy by calling for stronger curbs on greenhouse gases and should make it easier for states such as California to adopt tougher fuel-efficiency rules than the federal standard.


And he also directed his administration to get moving on new fuel efficiency guidelines for the auto industry in time to cover 2011 model year cars, CBS News reported on its website.


Obama, sworn in last Tuesday, told a White House gathering that “America will not be held hostage to dwindling resources” and said the government must work with the states – not against them – on tougher fuel standards for cars and trucks.


“It will be the policy of my administration,” he said, “to reverse our dependence on foreign oil while building a new energy economy that will create millions of jobs.”


He said California and several other states have tried to come up with tougher emission standards but that “Washington stood in their way.”

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House minority leader Jim Boehner told CBS the policy was “disappointing,” saying it would “destroy American jobs at the very time government leaders should be working together to protect and create them.”


The announcement came soon after General Motors said it would cut 2,000 jobs at plants in Michigan and Ohio and temporarily halt production for several weeks at nine plants over the next six months due to slow sales.


Earlier, the Los Angeles Times noted that a waiver for individual states to set their own emissions laws would be a bitter defeat for the auto industry, which had for years hotly contested the implementation of the [separate, stricter] California rules [since adopted by several other states] and had applauded the Bush administration decision in December 2007 to deny a state waiver for California.


At least 17 other states have adopted or are considering California’s rules, and a waiver also would allow them to regulate tailpipe emissions. Altogether, those states, which include New York and Florida, represent about 40% of the population, the paper said, citing auto industry estimates.


Carmakers could be forced to spend billions of dollars to comply with the California emissions rules, which are distinct from – and more rigorous than – federal fuel standards passed in 2007 which would raise the national fleet average to 35 miles per US gallon by 2020.


The EPA is expected to take several months to reach a final decision on whether to reverse the Bush denial, the report added.