The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently announced a stricter set of fuel economy standards for pickup trucks, minivans and sport utility vehicles.

The new rules will mandate vehicles meet the gas mileage goal of 24 miles per gallon by 2010, a plan designed to save 10.7 billion gallons of gasoline.

This is first and foremost an excellent step for the environment because it will help each individual to reduce the total amount of greenhouse gases generated by him or her.

It was also a wise move to implement the changes in gradual steps, because automotive manufacturers will be able to change their cars gradually, which will leave little room for noncompliance.

These new stringent standards follow in the wake of incentives offered by automotive manufacturers intended to encourage people to purchase more fuel efficient vehicles. These new standards seem to be a continuation of this shift to fuel efficient and hybrid vehicles. Thus, vehicles with poor gas mileage will be improved, at least marginally, and will become more environmentally sound.

However, as encouraging as this step is, it is important to remember that such fuel economy standards are intended to improve the environmental situation in the short term, while the long term focus should still be on developing effective alternative fuels to supplant the use of petroleum.

These alternative fuels and technologies should not be neglected, because solutions of this type will provide the key to ending petroleum dependence, not merely a set of gas mileage regulations.

For the immediate future though, the government has the right idea of setting stricter regulations on the fuel economy of a vehicle. Such gradual actions build toward a day when there may be sweeping change and alternative fuels can be used in the place of petroleum.