Big Oil cheers quietly as Trump moves to ease auto standards
The Trump administration’s plan to relax fuel-economy and vehicle pollution standards could be a boon to U.S. oil producers who’ve quietly lobbied for the measure.
The Trump administration’s plan to relax fuel-economy and vehicle pollution standards could be a boon to U.S. oil producers who’ve quietly lobbied for the measure.
The NRDC calculates that the change will have the net effect of reducing the average real world fuel economy of American automobiles by about 8 miles per gallon in 2025 relative to what it would be if Obama era standards were kept in place.
California’s Attorney General is preparing a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s proposal to dramatically roll back Obama-era vehicle emissions standards.
The Trump administration on Thursday unveiled its long-awaited proposal to dramatically weaken an Obama-era regulation designed to limit vehicle emissions, which contribute to climate change.
The Trump administration says people would drive more and be exposed to increased risk if their cars get better gas mileage, an argument intended to justify freezing Obama-era toughening of fuel standards.
A draft proposal by federal regulators to roll back U.S. automobile efficiency requirements contends that their preferred plan would reduce “societal costs” by roughly half a trillion dollars through 2029, while increasing U.S. fuel consumption by 500,000 barrels per day.
The Trump administration will formally lay out a plan as early as next week to revisit strict fuel-economy standards that had been set in motion under President Barack Obama, according to Andrew Wheeler, the new acting head of the Environmental Protection Agency.
With the Trump administration set to weaken Obama-era fuel economy standards for passenger cars and trucks, a chasm is opening between red and blue states.
Air Resources Board chair Mary Nichols said in an interview that agreements with the federal government or automakers could be struck in the coming months as the state pursues its own changes to fuel economy standards through 2025.
California and the auto industry mostly agree that the state should maintain a role in setting vehicle emissions standards despite Trump administration efforts to curb its authority, according to the head of the California Air Resources Board.