The Trump administration officially ended negotiations with California over a proposed rollback of Obama-era fuel economy regulations.
The White House issued a joint statement with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) Thursday:
“Today, officials from the White House, Department of Transportation, and Environmental Protection Agency announced that the Trump Administration has decided to discontinue discussions with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) regarding the proposed Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule.
Despite the Administration’s best efforts to reach a common-sense solution, it is time to acknowledge that CARB has failed to put forward a productive alternative since the SAFE Vehicles Rule was proposed. Accordingly, the Administration is moving forward to finalize a rule later this year with the goal of promoting safer, cleaner, and more affordable vehicles.”
The announcement comes as tensions flare between the White House and California over border wall and high-speed rail funding. The Daily Caller News Foundation first reported the administration’s plan to end talks.
The impasse over fuel economy regulations will likely result in EPA revoking California’s ability to set its own tailpipe standards for carbon dioxide emissions.
Talks between EPA and DOT officials the California Air Resources Board (CARB) broke down and no compromise was made, prompting the White House to push ahead with its deregulatory agenda without a deal with the Golden State.
The Trump administration proposed freezing Obama-era fuel economy standards in August 2018, sparking legal action from California and environmental groups.
That proposal also laid the groundwork for EPA to revoke California’s ability to set its own auto efficiency standards.
Former EPA official Mandy Gunasekara, who helped craft the proposal, said California never seemed to have any intention of hashing out a compromise with the Trump administration.
“Good faith attempts to negotiate were met with unprepared and uninterested California politicians beholden to a radical left base that was more interested in stalling tactics than making a deal to get Americans into safer, more efficient and affordable cars,” said Gunasekara, founder of the pro-Trump advocacy group Energy 45.
“They have actively been working against policies that are in the national interest, including the development of a single, 50-state standard for cars and trucks,” Gunasekara told TheDCNF.
However, a CARB spokesman said the Trump administration broke off talks before Christmas and didn’t respond to the state’s compromise suggestions.
“We concluded at that point that they were never serious about negotiating, and their public comments about California since they seem to underscore that point,” CARB spokesman Stanley Young told Bloomberg.
CARB did not respond to TheDCNF’s request for comment.
The Trump administration hopes to finalize new fuel economy rules by late April. EPA and DOT proposed freezing fuel economy standards in 2020, which would require new cars to get roughly 37 miles to the gallon.
The Obama administration mandated new cars get roughly 50 miles per gallon in 2025 as part of its climate change agenda.
California is leading a group of 19 states demanding the Trump administration to abandon its plan to roll back fuel economy regulations. California initiated legal action when EPA and DOT announced their proposal in 2018.
California doesn’t want to lose the authority granted to it by the Obama administration to set its own vehicle emissions standards. More than a dozen other states follow California’s auto rules.
“California wants President Trump to fail,” Gunasekara said. “From day one, far-left politicians from Governor Brown to CARB Chair Mary Nichols have been the face of the resistance.”
The auto industry initially prodded the Trump administration to rewrite Obama-era fuel economy standards but oppose the administration’s plan to freeze standards.
Automakers fear the impasse would create a patchwork of requirements, thus favoring one unified standard.
“The auto industry needs regulatory certainty, not protracted litigation,” Joe Hinrichs, Ford Motor Company’s president of global operations said in a statement, according to Reuters.
Read more at Daily Caller
Adopt the Imperial gallon. Car fuel mileage would immediately reach Obama’s mpg target.
But seriously, folks. Back around 1972, anti-smog regulations took effect. The Los Angeles basin was the problem. Auto makers were conflicted over building California- specific engines or use a nation wide standard. Two things forced a decision for a national standard. California was a huge market, and other cities demanded cleaner exhaust emissions.
What is different today is that the EPA declared carbon dioxide a pollutant. The intent was to force electric cars on the market.
From the Kingdom of California King Gavin makes his imperial decrees with strict orders to obey his rulings just like with Emporer Palpatine
There has never been a place for government regulation of fuel economy. This should be left up to the free market which isn’t free when the government imposes such standards. What California wants to do is impose their radical standards on the rest of the nation.
No problem man. California is going all electric anyway.
“California LEADING World’s Difficult Transition to an Electric Vehicle Future” “drivers will eventually be won over—if not for environmental reasons, then for savings in their “hip pocket….Electric vehicles will see a 60-90 percent decrease in costs.” So cool man!
Electric vehicles will see a 60-90 percent decrease in costs. Electricity prices will be flipping outrageous but Electric vehicles will be cheap. Oh ya!
With electric cars comes the problem of disposing of all those used batteries that’s something the Eco-Wackos can not ever seen with the Green colored Glasses on
Spent batteries and spent solar panels are going to be the next great eco challenge.
The disposal cost will be so high that “green” hardware will end up as litter in roadside ditches.