Obama poništio Busheve zakone

Barack Obama potpisao je dva zakona o klimatskim promjenama kojima se dokidaju zakoni doneseni za vladavine Georga Busha.

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President Barack Obama signed new measures to wean America off foreign oil and to spur development of fuel efficient cars.

Jon Decker reports.

STORY:

On day seven of his presidency, U.S. President Barack Obama signed two executive orders that begin the process of reversing former President George W. Bush's climate change policies -- directing the Department of Transportation to move forward with setting vehicle fuel efficiency standards for 2011 by March -- giving automakers an 18 month period to impose them.

SOUNDBITE: U.S. President Barack Obama saying (English):

"America will not be held hostage to dwindling resources, hostile regimes and a warming planet. We will not be put off from action because action is hard."

Obama, who as a candidate promised new energy policies, is also directing the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider a request by California to impose its own strict limits on automobile carbon dioxide emissions.

SOUNDBITE: U.S. President Barack Obama saying (English):

"The days of Washington dragging its heels are over. My administration will not deny facts; we will be guided by them. We cannot afford to pass the buck or push the burden onto the states."

The request to tighten auto emission standards was denied under the Bush administration -- which sided with automakers who argued that approving the request by California and 12 other states would create a confusing patchwork of state rules.

Jon Decker, Reuters.