Trump administration rolls back Obama-era fuel efficiency standards

[tacobell fan]

The Trump administration on Tuesday rolled back an Obama-era law that pushes automakers to produce more fuel efficient vehicles, severely limiting a rule designed to decrease pollution from transportation in the face of climate change.

The new rule cuts the year-over-year improvements expected from the auto industry, slashing standards that require automakers to produce fleets that average nearly 55 mpg by 2025. Instead, the Trump rule would bring that number down to about 40 mpg by 2026, bringing mileage below what automakers have said is possible for them to achieve.

The Trump administration has argued that cutting Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards will allow automakers to produce cheaper cars, something they say will save lives as lower prices spur consumers to upgrade to new vehicles with better safety features that guzzle less gas than older models.

“This rule reflects the Department’s No. 1 priority — safety — by making newer, safer, cleaner vehicles more accessible for Americans who are, on average, driving 12-year-old cars. By making newer, safer, and cleaner vehicles more accessible for American families, more lives will be saved and more jobs will be created,” Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao said in a statement announcing the rule.

But the rule has been mired by doubts that it will actually save lives.

Earlier government analysis found that while 600 to 700 Americans might be saved by better safety features, nearly 1,000 might die prematurely given the increase in smog and air pollution from vehicle emissions, according to documents obtained by Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.).

And even with historically low gas prices, consumers are expected to pay more at the pump. An analysis from Consumer Reports found U.S. drivers would spend $300 billion more on gas over the lifetime of the vehicles because of the decrease in fuel efficiency. 

The increased cost to consumers holds true even if gas falls to $1.50 per gallon, as prices are expected to rebound by the time frame most of the new vehicles would be produced.

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“Unemployment claims skyrocketed to more than 3 million last week, so millions of Americans are now going without a paycheck, and our nation is at risk of a recession because of the COVID crisis,” David Friedman, vice president for advocacy with Consumer Reports said on a call with reporters, referring to the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

“So it’s absolutely stunning the administration would finalize a plan that will cost drivers more money at the pump for years to come. Consumers, workers, small business owners are the engine of America's economy. And the last thing they need is to get stuck spending more on gas," he said.

The economic blow could also hit manufacturers themselves, with global buyers steering clear of American-made vehicles that lag behind their competitors. 

The Trump rule requires 1.5 percent year over year improvements in mileage, compared to 5 percent under Obama. The auto industry, however, has said it could improve fuel efficiency by 2.4 percent each year even without regulation.

But the issue is hardly just a financial one. Transportation is now the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the nation, according to research by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with pollution from cars and trucks outpacing that of electricity production as utilities move away from coal. 

“The administration is unraveling the biggest and most successful climate policy on the books, one that has also saved consumers millions of dollars in gasoline costs, cut air pollution, and helped grow the auto industry,” Ken Kimmell, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists, said in a statement.

States like California — which has engaged in a long battle with the Trump administration to block the rule — have long argued the tougher measures are needed to reduce air pollution that is dangerous both for health and the environment. 

When the CAFE standards were first proposed in 2018, it was rolled out alongside another measure that would have created one national standard for vehicle emissions — undercutting tougher standards drafted by California and adopted by more than a dozen other states.

The Trump administration is already facing suits over its decision to revoke that power from California, but a subsequent deal between the state and automakers showed there is an appetite to meet fuel economy standards similar to what Obama promised.

In July, four automakers agreed to produce vehicles that could average 50 mpg by 2026. 

Experts say this Trump administration rule is particularly vulnerable to legal challenges given the numerous efforts to tweak the cost-benefit analysis underlying the rule, something critics called an attempt to make the overall rule appear more favorable. 

But another central issue is that the law requires pushing automakers to innovate.

“Based on NHTSA statute they must set the standard at the maximum feasible level,” Friedman with Consumer Reports said, referring to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

“And if you’ve got several automakers who are already saying they can do a lot more, that pretty much tosses out the window any claim that the administration rolled out the maximum feasible standard. That’s going to prove a serious challenge in the courts," he added.

[Catabolite]

In exchange for Ford motors making ventilators

[tacobell fan]

1 minute ago, Catabolite said:

In exchange for Ford motors making ventilators

 idi teliyaka 4 years waste chesaru. chss.

[Catabolite]

2 minutes ago, tacobell fan said:

 idi teliyaka 4 years waste chesaru. chss.

Y

[bhaigan]

4 minutes ago, Catabolite said:

In exchange for Ford motors making ventilators

asalu ford motors ventilators manufacturing chesthunda

[bhaigan]

3 minutes ago, tacobell fan said:

 idi teliyaka 4 years waste chesaru. chss.

ade kada

[bhaigan]

ee debba tho US lo Air Quality bayamkaram ga padipoye chances unnayi something similar to Beijing , Shangai china

[r2d2]

2 minutes ago, bhaigan said:

asalu ford motors ventilators manufacturing chesthunda

• Ford, in collaboration with GE Healthcare, will leverage the design of Airon Corp.’s FDA-cleared ventilator to produce in Michigan
• With the full weight of the UAW behind the venture and the full power of Ford and GE Healthcare, production of the GE/Airon Model A-E ventilator is targeted to start the week of April 20 at Ford’s Rawsonville (Mich.) Components Plant
• Ford expects to produce 50,000 of the ventilators within the next 100 days, with the ability to produce 30,000 a month thereafter as needed
• The simplified ventilator design – licensed by GE Healthcare from Florida-based Airon Corp. – is responsive to the needs of most COVID-19 patients, and operates on air pressure without the need for electricity

[bhaigan]

Just now, r2d2 said:

• Ford, in collaboration with GE Healthcare, will leverage the design of Airon Corp.’s FDA-cleared ventilator to produce in Michigan
• With the full weight of the UAW behind the venture and the full power of Ford and GE Healthcare, production of the GE/Airon Model A-E ventilator is targeted to start the week of April 20 at Ford’s Rawsonville (Mich.) Components Plant
• Ford expects to produce 50,000 of the ventilators within the next 100 days, with the ability to produce 30,000 a month thereafter as needed
• The simplified ventilator design – licensed by GE Healthcare from Florida-based Airon Corp. – is responsive to the needs of most COVID-19 patients, and operates on air pressure without the need for electricity

April 20 na appatiki jaragalsina nastam jarigipoddi bhayya easy ga 1 lakh causalities undachu okavela anti malarial drug fail ayithe

[bhaigan]

1 minute ago, r2d2 said:

• Ford, in collaboration with GE Healthcare, will leverage the design of Airon Corp.’s FDA-cleared ventilator to produce in Michigan
• With the full weight of the UAW behind the venture and the full power of Ford and GE Healthcare, production of the GE/Airon Model A-E ventilator is targeted to start the week of April 20 at Ford’s Rawsonville (Mich.) Components Plant
• Ford expects to produce 50,000 of the ventilators within the next 100 days, with the ability to produce 30,000 a month thereafter as needed
• The simplified ventilator design – licensed by GE Healthcare from Florida-based Airon Corp. – is responsive to the needs of most COVID-19 patients, and operates on air pressure without the need for electricity

Ante Italy lo ventilator manufacturing cheyaleru anukuntunnava chetiki ventilators ragane jaragalsina nastam jarigipoddi

[soodhilodaaram]

3 minutes ago, bhaigan said:

ee debba tho US lo Air Quality bayamkaram ga padipoye chances unnayi something similar to Beijing , Shangai china

BONGEMI KAADU..the vehicles are way more efficient already than 10 yrs ago.. people are more used to smaller cars now

in order to boost oil consumption, these things are must to keep the economy floating..

 

[r2d2]

1 minute ago, bhaigan said:

April 20 na appatiki jaragalsina nastam jarigipoddi bhayya easy ga 1 lakh causalities undachu okavela anti malarial drug fail ayithe

It is not just Ford.. there are several others in the fray.. better late than never...

[soodhilodaaram]

5 minutes ago, r2d2 said:

• Ford, in collaboration with GE Healthcare, will leverage the design of Airon Corp.’s FDA-cleared ventilator to produce in Michigan
• With the full weight of the UAW behind the venture and the full power of Ford and GE Healthcare, production of the GE/Airon Model A-E ventilator is targeted to start the week of April 20 at Ford’s Rawsonville (Mich.) Components Plant
• Ford expects to produce 50,000 of the ventilators within the next 100 days, with the ability to produce 30,000 a month thereafter as needed
• The simplified ventilator design – licensed by GE Healthcare from Florida-based Airon Corp. – is responsive to the needs of most COVID-19 patients, and operates on air pressure without the need for electricity

Defense Production Act has been activated by P, which means any company can be asked to manufacture necessary goods that are in shortage

[bhaigan]

2 minutes ago, r2d2 said:

• Ford, in collaboration with GE Healthcare, will leverage the design of Airon Corp.’s FDA-cleared ventilator to produce in Michigan
• With the full weight of the UAW behind the venture and the full power of Ford and GE Healthcare, production of the GE/Airon Model A-E ventilator is targeted to start the week of April 20 at Ford’s Rawsonville (Mich.) Components Plant
• Ford expects to produce 50,000 of the ventilators within the next 100 days, with the ability to produce 30,000 a month thereafter as needed
• The simplified ventilator design – licensed by GE Healthcare from Florida-based Airon Corp. – is responsive to the needs of most COVID-19 patients, and operates on air pressure without the need for electricity

July 1st week lo vasthayi ventillators evadiki upayogam cheppu, appatiki naku telisi curve kuda flatten ayipoddi

[dewarist]

1 minute ago, soodhilodaaram said:

BONGEMI KAADU..the vehicles are way more efficient already than 10 yrs ago.. people are more used to smaller cars now

in order to boost oil consumption, these things are must to keep the economy floating..

 

They why are the sales of Trucks and SUVs higher than that of sedans..let alone compact cars

Manufacturers are ditching production of smaller cars in favor bigger cars