Obama Pushes New Energy Standards for Vehicles ... Except His Own

In his weekly address, President Obama addresses energy security (transcript), both trying to show that his administration has been friendly to the idea of drilling at home and pushing the idea that alternative energy solutions are still needed. A cornerstone of his energy policy relies on more energy-efficient vehicles:

This week, I released a Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future.  It’s a strategy to reduce the oil we import from around the world, and to make our economy stronger at home.  Part of this strategy involves increasing our oil exploration right here in America.  In fact, our oil production last year reached its highest level since 2003, and we want to encourage more safe, responsible drilling where we can.

But the truth is, drilling alone is not a real strategy to replace our dependence on foreign oil.  And that’s because even though America uses 25 percent of the world’s oil, we currently have only about 2 percent of the world’s oil reserves.  Even if we used every last drop of all the oil we have, it wouldn’t be enough to meet our long-term energy needs.  So, real energy security can only come if we find ways to use less oil – if we invest in cleaner fuels and greater efficiency.

That’s what we’ve been doing since I took office.  For example, we secured an agreement from all the major auto companies to raise the fuel efficiency of their cars and trucks.  So if you buy a new car, the better gas mileage is going to save you about $3,000.  Altogether, this will save us about 1.8 billion barrels of oil as a country.

We need to build on this progress.  As we make our cars and trucks more efficient, we’ve got to harness new technologies to fuel our vehicles with everything from biofuels to natural gas to advanced batteries.  And the good news is, these technologies aren’t science fiction anymore.  They exist today.  Already, American car companies are producing electric vehicles that use little or no gas.  And innovators across America are testing new products that hold incredible promise not just for new vehicles, but for countless new jobs.

But as The Detroit News reports:

The U.S. Secret Service said today that some federal vehicles for law enforcement and security purposes will be exempt from President Barack Obama's directive that all federal vehicles purchased starting 2015 be advanced technology models.

Secret Service spokesman Robert Novy said the directive wouldn't apply to vehicles used for some law enforcement or security reasons by various federal agencies.

"Certain specialized vehicles including those with law enforcement and security specifications are not subject to this directive," Novy said.

That would include the GM-built Cadillac presidential limousine and other vehicles in the motorcade. It also expected to include many law enforcement vehicles.

I'm sure we would all agree that we want our President and law enforcement officials to be safe, but it's just interesting to note how many laws and directives passed for the betterment of the country don't apply to government officials that pass them...

Related: Obama’s Ambitious Goal: Cut Oil Imports by One-Third