President Trump thinks California should have less power when it comes to fuel economy regulations.
The Trump administration appears to be making good on its threat to unwind federal fuel economy standards put into place under President Obama. The Trump administration is expected to announce a plan to rollback Obama-era fuel economy mandates by the end of the week.
According to Bloomberg, President Trump will seek to ease future fuel economy regulations by directing the Environmental Protection Agency to revoke the Clean Air Act waiver that allows the state of California to impose its own tailpipe rules. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will also look to limit California’s regulatory powers by barring it from regulating greenhouse gases.
Additionally, the Trump administration will freeze federal fuel economy standards at the 2020 level, which will require vehicles to average about 35mpg. Those standards were scheduled to jump to 50mpg by 2025.
The Clean Air Act waiver has allowed California to set its own emissions rules for vehicles, which are now followed by 16 other states and the District of Columbia. State regulators also worked closely with the Obama Administration to craft federal fuel economy standards that span well into the future. If President Trump gets his way, California will no longer be able to force automakers to achieve specific fuel economy mandates that aren’t inline with federal rules.
A legal battle is sure to ensue, so expect to hear much more on the fuel economy front in the coming weeks and months.
President Trump thinks California should have less power when it comes to fuel economy regulations.
The Trump administration appears to be making good on its threat to unwind federal fuel economy standards put into place under President Obama. The Trump administration is expected to announce a plan to rollback Obama-era fuel economy mandates by the end of the week.
According to Bloomberg, President Trump will seek to ease future fuel economy regulations by directing the Environmental Protection Agency to revoke the Clean Air Act waiver that allows the state of California to impose its own tailpipe rules. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will also look to limit California's regulatory powers by barring it from regulating greenhouse gases.
Additionally, the Trump administration will freeze federal fuel economy standards at the 2020 level, which will require vehicles to average about 35mpg. Those standards were scheduled to jump to 50mpg by 2025.
The Clean Air Act waiver has allowed California to set its own emissions rules for vehicles, which are now followed by 16 other states and the District of Columbia. State regulators also worked closely with the Obama Administration to craft federal fuel economy standards that span well into the future. If President Trump gets his way, California will no longer be able to force automakers to achieve specific fuel economy mandates that aren't inline with federal rules.
A legal battle is sure to ensue, so expect to hear much more on the fuel economy front in the coming weeks and months.
