"It's been less than a year into the second Trump administration, and to many outside observers, US government policies appear confusing or incoherent. Yesterday provided a good example from the automotive sector. As has been widely expected, the White House is moving ahead with plans to significantly erode fuel economy standards, beyond even the permissive levels that were considered OK during the first Trump term."
"A little over a decade ago, the Obama administration announced new fuel economy standards for light trucks and cars that were meant to go into effect this year, bringing the corporate fleet fuel economy average up to 50.4 mpg. As you can probably tell, that didn't happen. It wasn't a popular move with automakers, and the first Trump administration ripped up those rules and instituted new, weaker targets of just 40.4 mpg by 2026."
"By the end of that month, Sec. Duffy had already ripped up the Biden fuel economy standards, blaming them for making cars too expensive. In March, the US Environmental Protection Agency threw out its versions of the fuel economy regulations, with the EPA claiming that the US auto industry had been "hamstrung by the crushing regulatory regime." Further attacks on an efficient, clean fleet arrived this summer."
Federal policy is moving to significantly weaken US fuel economy standards beyond earlier Trump-era rollbacks. At a rollback announcement the president unexpectedly praised tiny Japanese Kei cars and instructed the Transportation Secretary to pursue making them street-legal. Obama-era standards intended to raise the corporate fleet average to 50.4 mpg did not take effect; the first Trump administration replaced them with a 40.4 mpg target by 2026. The Biden administration briefly reinstated more ambitious targets requiring more EVs, but the second Trump administration rescinded those standards. Secretary Duffy nullified the Biden rules and the EPA discarded its regulations, citing a burdensome regulatory regime. A Republican budget removed EV tax incentives and federal enforcement against automakers was reduced.
Read at Ars Technica
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