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Eh, most things trend better over time. Sometimes they improve faster, sometimes slower.
Fleet fuel economy will improve over time, regardless. I'm not saying the U.S. has made a good decision concerning political leadership, but the executive branch only represents 1/3 of the federal power.
Concerning the article, it merely says that the CAFE requirements will be reviewed to see if it poses an undue burden on consumers and auto workers. This is good, since the people who make these rules don't take basic physics into consideration when they pick a target number. Just because a law is passed saying average fuel economy must be 50 MPG doesn't mean there is a technological solution to meeting that requirement. It appears to be entirely arbitrary (I'm hoping someone can cite evidence showing that MPG mandates are based on objective reasons).
Forcing auto manufacturers to meet arbitrary MPG averages is the wrong way to go about achieving the goals of reducing foreign oil consumption and reducing pollution. The right way to reduce consumption of any good is to make it more expensive. That means federal fuel taxes should be higher. It's a fair way to achieve the goal since people will be free to drive inefficient vehicles and pay everyone else for the privilege in the form of more tax paid.
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