Burning Image's flickr photostream/Creative Commons

Though the Obama administration is working on new fuel efficiency standards for cars in the United States, today the administration is announcing, as a place-holder, a new standard of 27.3 miles per gallon for 2011. The standard, which applies to combined emissions of cars and light-trucks, needed to be announced by the end of the month by law. However, the administration is planning to roll out a much more comprehensive and stringent fuel efficiency rules later this year.

Today’s announced increase is 2 mpg more than the current standards, and automakers say “they expect to easily meet the 2011 standard, and they have raised no objections.” So, good news on that. But what’s really interesting is this little switch from the previous administration’s policies:

In addition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to allow California and other states to set their own standards within months.

If we recall, California had been denied the option to set fuel efficiency standards to a stricter level than federal standards, I think on the grounds that it would be too expensive for Detroit. But this administration is all like, “Um, hey. Isn’t the environment pretty important? Let’s work on that.” So it’ll be interesting to see what the new fuel standards are going to be later this year. In the meantime, takepart and keep up to date with all your green (as in environmental, not the color of my old car) auto news.