Obama orders new fuel standards for future

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama called for first-ever mileage and emissions standards for big rig and work trucks today, seeking to limit pollution from the large vehicles that contribute a big share of it.

With a presidential memorandum signed in the Rose Garden, Obama also ordered federal agencies that have already brought out new standards for cars and light trucks for the 2012-2016 model years to begin work on even stronger rules for 2017 and beyond.

"The disaster in the Gulf only underscores that even as we pursue domestic production to reduce our reliance on imported oil, our long-term security depends on the development of alternative sources of fuel and new transportation technologies," the president said.

"I believe that it's possible in the next 20 years for vehicles to use half the fuel and produce half the pollution that they do today."