Barack Obama is undoubtedly not happy right now after it was reported that President Donald Trump plans to roll back yet another set of rules from his presidency tomorrow.
Daily Mail [1] reported that Trump is going to roll back the Obama-era vehicle mileage standards and raise the ceiling on fossil fuel emissions through 2026. These rules had been put in place during Obama’s presidency ostensibly as a way to fight climate change, but the Trump administration is expedited to release a final rule on mileage standards through the next six years. It is believed that the new rule will water down Obama’s rules, which would have encouraged automakers globally to increase production of electric vehicles and more fuel-efficient gasoline vehicles in the coming years.
Trump’s administration has argued that loosening these rules will give consumers the chance to keep buying the less fuel-efficient SUVs that U.S. drivers have favored for years. However, liberals say this move will destroy Obama’s legacy to cut climate-damaging fossil fuel emissions, and that it will also kill more Americans per year due to polluted air.
Environmental Protection Agency chief Andrew Wheeler took to Twitter today to praise the rule change, saying it will raise the U.S. fleet fuel economy, reduce air pollution and “make new vehicles more affordable.”
Reporting on incomplete information does a genuine disservice to the American people. When finalized, the SAFE rule will⬆️US fleet fuel economy, ⬇️air pollution, and make new vehicles more affordable .
— EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler (@EPAAWheeler) March 30, 2020 [2]
Twenty three U.S. states, including California, already have plans to challenge the rule change. California has already challenged the Trump administration’s decision to revoke the state’s authority to set stiff vehicle tailpipe emissions rules.
Joe Biden, the current frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, has pledged to toughen fuel economy standards to ensure “100% of new sales for light- and medium-duty vehicles will be electrified.”
“This legally flawed rule means more uncertainty and more litigation. This rule will not provide regulatory relief to automakers, it will do just the opposite,” argued Senator Tom Carper, the top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee.
John Bozzella, who heads an automotive trade representing nearly all major automakers including General Motors Co, Volkswagen AG and Toyota Motor Corp, said that automakers will review the final rule as soon as it is published.
“A lot of the planning for these model years has already been done,” Bozzella said, going on to ask lawmakers to look at longer-term requirements beyond 2026.
The auto industry is split on this issue, with Ford, BMW, Honda and Volkswagen all siding with California. Most other automakers, however, have said that the Obama-era standards were enacted hastily and will be impossible to meet because consumers have dramatically moved from choosing efficient cars to SUVs and trucks.
This piece was written by Daniel M on March 30, 2020. It originally appeared in Objectivist.co [3] and is used by permission.
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