Trump Administration’s Fuel Economy Proposal Bucks California in Bid to Spur New Car Purchases

 
 

American consumers who want safe, affordable vehicles will find new models with improved technology becoming less costly if a federal rule amending standards for fuel economy and emissions goes into effect, Trump administration officials said Thursday in announcing the proposal.

California has been permitted to set its own auto emissions standards under a federal waiver. But President Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration could seek to eliminate this waiver as part of the proposed rule change.

Twelve states, concentrated in the Northeast and Pacific Northwest, follow California’s lead with stricter emissions standards, as does closer to the White Housethe District of Columbia.

The Obama administration worked with state officials in California to set fuel efficiency standards, a key component of President Barack Obama’s efforts to address climate change.

Democratic Party officials quoted in Politico warn that the Trump administration’s proposal could create a rift between red states and the blue states that adopted California’s stricter emissions standards.

If the new proposal is implemented, California and the 12 other states would need to observe the new federal rules on emissions.

“Since California started to determine the stringency of fuel economy standards, new car prices have increased $6,800 above the pre-2009 baseline …read more