Fuel economy standards kill people, Trump administration claims

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On Thursday morning, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed freezing fuel economy standards for passenger vehicles at 2020 levels, erasing the gradual fuel economy increases that were signed into law by the Obama administration just before Trump took office.

Former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt deemed the fuel economy standards too high in April and opened a formal rule-making process to revise the standards. Rule-making takes time, and undoing a law requires studies, documentation, and public comment periods. After Pruitt, facing ever-growing spending scandals, resigned in July, Deputy Administrator Andrew Wheeler became acting administrator and took up the mantle of rolling back fuel-efficiency standards.

The proposed rule published today (PDF) was issued in cooperation with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which maintains a parallel set of fuel economy standards. The rule also challenges California's authority to set fuel economy standards that are more aggressive than federal standards, setting up a legal battle between the Golden State and the federal government.

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