Trump Administration Plans To Freeze Obama-Era Fuel Standards (theverge.com)

The Trump administration plans to freeze Obama-era fuel-efficiency standards starting in 2021, according to a report from The Washington Post. The report says the Trump administration "would go even further by restricting a state's ability to set its own fuel standards, which would be a strike against California and its strict state-specific emissions rules," reports The Verge. From the report: The proposal has been reportedly drafted by the Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, and the plan right now is to freeze standards for cars and light trucks at levels set for the year 2021 and keep them their for five years. The Obama administration's rules, which involved a partnership with California and car makers, set standards at 50 miles per gallon for cars and light trucks by 2025. Obama also, through the Clean Air Act, granted California a waiver to set its own, higher standards. That way, if automobile manufacturers wanted to maintain a presence in the lucrative California market, they'd have to abide by the new rules. The Trump administration now says a separate law overrules that arrangement, The Washington Post reports.

Comments

Big surprise....

[b0s0z0ku]

Ford just mostly pulled out of the North American car market, leaving the US/Canada with a bunch of tippy little trucklets and bigger trucks. I hope gas does a 2008 and shoots up to $5/gal soon -- if it won't push people to buy more reasonable cars, maybe it will at least help sales of electric cars out of their current niche.

Also, thank God for the Japanese makers who still sell reasonably-sized, nice-to-drive actual cars in the US market.

Re:Big surprise....

[whoever57]

Hydrogen is merely the last gas of the fossil fuel industry's attempt to prevent the imminent irrelevance for cars.

Most hydrogen is produced form fossil fuels, so it isn't green.

Developing the infrastructure for refilling hydrogen fuelled cars is going to be very expensive, while most of the infrastructure for BEVs already exists (in the form of electrical grids).

Hydrogen fuelled cars need a small battery anyway, because regenerative braking back to hydrogen fuel isn't effective.

The only reason hydrogen fuel cell vehicles exist is because of a mandate from the Japanese government. Even then, only one company has actually produced one in volume (and, in the USA, only sells it in part of California).

Waivers and Eexecutive Actions

[_Sharp'r_]

When you govern by issuing waivers to the law instead of actually using compromise and diplomacy to pass laws, then at some point you have to expect a new Presidential Administration might be elected and revoke those waivers and reverse previous executive actions.

Re:Waivers and Eexecutive Actions

[b0s0z0ku]

The vast majority (> 95%) of actual peer-reviewed research supports the theory that human activities cause global warming. The differences between the research are how much effect there will be, and how quickly it will happen.

Also, the oil industry is polluting in other ways (water with hydrocarbon contamination, anyone?). And a sizable fraction of gasoline used goes on the ground, into the groundwater, or evaporates into the air. The less oil and gas we avoidably use, the better it is for us all, regardless of global warming theories.

Re:Corporate rights

[VeryFluffyBunny]

And there I was thinking that the Republican party were all about giving states more freedom and independence.

Re:Corporate rights

[b0s0z0ku]

Only where such freedom and rights benefit DOW 30 corporations or certain churches where the lunatics run the asylum.

Re:[...]strike against California[...]

[apoc.famine]

Because we can't have a smaller government if it's the wrong small government.

Re: Choo Choo!!

[b0s0z0ku]

Cyanide and carbon monoxide are also made of carbon. Try sniffing some and telling me it's not a pollutant ... oh wait.

Re:maybe it will at least help sales of electric c

[b0s0z0ku]

The majority of Americans don't live in the rural US. Infernal combustion cars aren't going anywhere for the 10% of truly rural population.

We left sane government behind

[rsilvergun]

when Clinton (Bill) shifted the Democratic party right to win the presidency. The Republicans then moved right to protect their own identity (after all, why vote Republican when the Dems are damn near the same) and then the Dems decided to move to the new "center" and here we are with both parties far, far to the right of Eisenhower. Bernie's trying to get things moving back in the direction of FDR and the like.