Obama to proceed with federal clean vehicles

I'm sure the right wing will say that this means we're DOOOMED, but this is actually a "yes we can" sort of start to an energy policy, even in light of heavy resistance from Congress:

At a speech at Georgetown University, Obama also will unveil his strategy to cut U.S. oil imports by a third in 10 years, by stepping up domestic oil production and requiring a major increase in fuel economy for the 2017-25 model years.

We all know what the response by the President of Facebook and her allies will be: big government, Government Motors, Socialism, losing American jobs, our idea of an "all of the above" energy policy doesn't include the efficiency part of the above, etc., etc.

That's not to say there won't be criticism from the left as well, but this is actually a pretty good deal, consistent with the original Obama, and it's helping the US create jobs. One example is this.

More from the White House:

Encouraging responsible development practices for natural gas: The Administration is committed to the use of this important domestic resource, but we must ensure it is developed safely and responsibly. To that end the Administration is focused on increasing transparency about the use of fracking chemicals, working with state regulators to offer technical assistance, and launching a new initiative to tap experts in industry, the environmental community and states to develop recommendations for shale extraction practices that will ensure the protection of public health and the environment. [...]

Setting historic new fuel economy standards: Standards for model years 2012-16 will raise average fuel economy to 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016, and save 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of the vehicles covered. In July, the Administration will also finalize the first-ever national fuel economy and greenhouse gas emission standards for commercial trucks, vans and buses built in 2014 - 2018. These standards will cut oil use and promote the development and deployment of alternative fuels, including natural gas. The Administration is also developing the next generation of fuel economy and greenhouse gas emission standards for passenger vehicles 2017-2025 and expects to announce the proposal in September 2011.
Paving the way for advanced vehicles: The President has set an ambitious goal of putting 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015. To help us get there, the President’s FY 2012 Budget proposes a redesigned $7500 tax credit for consumers, competitive grants for communities that encourage the adoption of electric vehicles, and funding for R&D to drive innovation in advanced battery technology. At the same time, the President is calling on Congress to move forward with policies that can help unlock the promise of natural gas vehicles.
Leading by Example With the Federal Fleet. The Federal government operates more than 600,000 fleet vehicles. We have already doubled the number of hybrid vehicles in the federal fleet. Today, the President is calling for administrative action directing agencies to ensure that by 2015, all new vehicles they purchase will be alternative-fuel vehicles, including hybrid and electric vehicles.

This isn't a "Biofuels, Bitches" plan. Sounds a little like the T. Boone Pickens plan. If this is implemented correctly (i.e. identifying which federal vehicles are driven the most and changing those first), the price of batteries shouldn't rise too quickly, and it shouldn't add too significantly to the deficit; or rather, it will help the longer-term deficit picture since less money will be spent on fuel. And, it will continue what appears to be a longer-term trend of reducing oil imports: