In recognition of Earth Day, a lecture on what it takes to pass historic air quality legislation will be presented by Margo Oge. She headed the Obama Administration’s landmark 2012 Clean Air Act deal with automakers. It was the nation’s first action targeting greenhouse gasses.

Oge will present “In Driving the Future: Combating Climate Change with Cleaner, Smarter Cars,” from noon-1 p.m. Wednesday at Weill Hall, in the Betty Ford Classroom. A pizza lunch will be served at 11:50 a.m.

The Clean Air Act regulation is projected to double the fuel efficiency of automakers’ fleets to 54.5 mpg and cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2025. Oge served at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for 32 years. The last 18, she directed the Office of Transportation Air Quality. She will provide an insider’s account of the science, politics, policy, legal battles and the people who made possible this historic regulation.

Oge will also discuss the technological, social, economic and regulatory terrain in which even larger reductions in greenhouse gases could be achieved. Now the vice chairman of the board of DeltaWing Technologies, she envisions a future of clean, intelligent vehicles with lighter frames and alternative power trains. They include plug in electric and fuel cell vehicles that produce zero emissions and average 100 plus mpg.