GLOBAL CLIMATE DEBATE

Obama signs 'Cash for Clunkers'

The White House says President Obama has signed into law an extension of the "cash-for-clunkers" program.

The Senate voted last night to put another $2 billion into the program, following the House's lead of a week ago. The administration estimates the additional $2 billion will mean the program will last until Labor Day, although it remains to be seen while it can sustain its intense popularity.

The program, which gives car-buyers rebates of up to $4,500, began barely two weeks ago, but quickly burned through its initial $1 billion allocation, as nearly 185,000 consumers rushed to showrooms to trade in older gas guzzlers for new, more efficient models.

The government says the top trade-ins so far have been the Ford Explorer, followed by the Ford F150 pickup and Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The top-selling vehicle in the program so far has been the Toyota Corolla, followed by the Ford Focus and Honda Civic.

The government figures show that cars being traded-in got an average of 15.8 miles per gallon, while the cars being bought average 25.4 miles per gallon.

But some experts say even with the increased mileage, the program will have little effect on emissions.

Calculations by The Associated Press, using Department of Transportation figures, show that replacing fuel hogs will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by just under 700,000 tons a year, compared with total U.S. emissions last year of 6.4 billion tons.

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