By Dan Calabrese ——Bio and Archives--August 3, 2018
American Politics, News | CFP Comments | Reader Friendly | Subscribe | Email Us
The proposal outlined Thursday would eliminate the sharp increase in fuel-economy requirements adopted under the Obama administration in collaboration with California. The fuel-efficiency rules, which were key to former President Barack Obama’s efforts to fight climate change, require auto makers to cut emissions enough so that new vehicles sold average more than 50 miles a gallon by 2025. This latest proposal, which is subject to a 60-day public comment period, would still increase targets through 2020 but then hold them at that level, significantly lowering the longer-term requirements through 2026. The new target would be 37 miles a gallon by 2026. The plan gives car companies more flexibility at a time when low fuel prices have resulted in soaring sales of bigger, less-efficient pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles. Those vehicles now account for more than 60% of the U.S. auto market. Trump administration officials say that meeting the current standards would require costly, fuel-saving technology that customers would balk at paying, opting instead to keep older, dirtier and less-safe cars. “Our job is to do what’s right for all Americans,” Heidi King, deputy administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, disputed the Trump administration’s claims, saying greater efficiency saves consumers money and protects their health by lowering air pollution and addressing climate change, “the most important global environmental issue of our time.”
View Comments
Dan Calabrese’s column is distributed by HermanCain.com, which can be found at HermanCain
Follow all of Dan’s work, including his series of Christian spiritual warfare novels, by liking his page on Facebook.