One of the tenets of effective public communication is to pick one message at a time and to stay on it. Today is apparently Energy Day for the Obama administration. 

According to the Washington Post, the Obama administration will announce today that it is rescinding the Bush administration's denial of California's move for higher fuel efficiency standards. It will also order the Transportation Department to reconsider the Bush decision not to issue rules requiring more-fuel-efficient cars, and highlight ways in which the proposed economic stimulus package will benefit the environment.

The auto industry has fought the California action, which has been followed by 13 other states and may attract at least four others, on the grounds that such regulation would require them to produce two fleets. Of course, another alternative would be to produce one fleet that meets both standards — nothing in the federal law bars the automakers from exceeding its standard.

Even though they've fought every efficiency improvement,  I wouldn't be surprised if the automakers decided to go that route anyway, if they have to make so many cars that meet the higher standard anyway.

A while back, I heard Rick Waggoner, GM's chief, address the Commonwealth Club of California on this issue, and his principle (stated) argument against California's action was that it would be unfair to make the automakers meet multiple standards, and I have some sympathy for that. Transportation is easily an interstate issue, more validly governed at the federal level.

But I don't believe Waggoner, well, on anything. But specifically, I don't believe he would have had the same position if California was legislating a lower standard instead of a higher one. (Yes, the analogy doesn't work perfectly, but it makes my point anyway.) He was against the higher standard, far more than he was worried about intergovernmental inconsistencies.