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East Palestine Report: Congress Should Rethink Its Reaction
In almost a decade working for the British Department for Transport, no officials impressed me as much as the accident investigators. They were dedicated experts who…

Blog
UAW revival gets flat tire in Alabama
The United Auto Workers (UAW) on Friday lost a high-profile bid to organize 5,000 Mercedes-Benz workers in a plant near Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The loss…

Blog
UAW loses 13,000 members
The United Auto Workers (UAW) lost 13,000 members in the last year, according to filings the union made to the Labor Department. The UAW said…
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Comment
CEI Comments in Response to OST Regarding Impact of Automated Vehicle Technologies on Workforce
On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (“CEI”), I respectfully submit these comments in response to the Office of the Secretary of Transportation’s (“OST”) Request…
Blog
Can Self-Driving Taxis Reduce Urban Poverty?
In last year’s omnibus spending package, Congress allocated up to $1.5 million to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to conduct a study on the…
Products
CEI Comments on Incentives for Connected or Autonomous Vehicles
On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (“CEI”), I respectfully submit these comments in response to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (“NHTSA”) and Environmental…
Blog
David Friedman Swings and Misses at AV START Act
Axios recently launched a newsletter dedicated to automated vehicles. In the most recent issue, David Friedman attacks bipartisan legislation in Congress aimed at speeding…
Washington Examiner
Safety Advocates Try To Hit The Brakes On Driverless Cars
Washington Examiner cited CEI’s Senior Fellow Marc Scribner on Congressional action for driverless vehicles. “I understand there are important things that need to…
Inside Sources
Does Air Pollution Kill? New Report Challenges Longstanding Conviction
Inside Sources cited CEI’s Adjunct Scholar Steve Milloy’s “Will the Trump Fuel Economy Reform Proposal Create Deadly Air Pollution?” study. A decade ago,…
Washington Examiner
Trump’s EPA Rattles Self-Driving Car Industry By Picking ‘Winners And Losers,’ Critics Claim
Washington Examiner cited CEI’s Senior Fellow Marc Scribner on technology neutrality pledge of USDOT Other manufacturers such Tesla and Mercedes-Benz raised concerns over…
Blog
Environmental Protection Agency Considering Backdoor Subsidies for ‘Talking Car’ Tech
During the final days of the Obama administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed its “talking car” mandate. This would have required new…
News Release
Trump Trade Tariffs Mean Layoffs and Lower Auto Sales for Ford
Ford Motor Company just announced layoffs in the midst of a reported $1 billion in tariff-related losses. Auto sales are down due to trade tariffs…
The Washington Times
Trump To Raise Limit On Ethanol In Gasoline
The Washington Times cited CEI’s Senior Fellow Marlo Lewis on E15 fuel limit raise. The Competitive Enterprise Institute, which frequently supports Mr. Trump’s initiatives,…
Blog
Automated Vehicles 3.0 Guidance Continues Green-Lighting Innovation
Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) released the third iteration of its guidance for automated vehicles, Preparing for the Future of Transportation:…
News Release
Transportation Dept. Helps Automated Vehicle Future with New, Modernized “AV 3.0” Plan
Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation put out its long-anticipated plan to pave the way for automated vehicles. The DOT guidance document is called Preparing…
The Lane Report
Perspective | New Cars, Cleaner Air
The Lane Report cited CEI on CAFE standards. The Department of Transportation finds that the best way to achieve cleaner air is when…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter Opposing Lifting the Cap on Electric Vehicle Subsidies
We the undersigned organizations write to strongly object to any effort to expand the current electric vehicle tax credit in any way. The justification for…
The Daily Caller
Free Market Group: Stop Giving Handouts To Rich Tesla Drivers
The Daily Caller cited CEI’s Tesla coalition letter to Congress. “We, the undersigned organizations, write to strongly object to any effort to expand…
Blog
VIDEO: Self-Driving Cars Will Make Traveling Safer and More Efficient
The Competitive Enterprise Institute is releasing a new video today on automated vehicles (a/k/a self-driving cars) and how they could make our roads dramatically safer. They…
Blog
To Promote Highway Safety and Innovation, Senate Must Pass AV START Act
It has now been over a year since the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan SELF DRIVE Act by voice vote. Its companion bill,…
Inside Sources
Ban on Texting While Driving? No
Should there be a nationwide ban on texting while driving? To many, the obvious answer is a resounding yes. After all, texting while driving, along…
Blog
Senate Should Pass on Joan Claybrook’s Advice and Pass AV START Act
Why are self-styled safety advocates opposing the first legislative step that could help usher in the greatest automotive safety improvements in history? This is a…
Trucks.com
Most States Ban Truck Platooning, but Report Shows Momentum Shift
Trucks.com cited Senior Fellow Marc Scribner on automated vehicle platooning. In a report released Wednesday, the privately funded Competitive Enterprise…
Politico
Politico Morning Transportation: Scribner Platooning Report
Politico cited Senior Fellow Marc Scribner on automated vehicle platooning. The Competitive Enterprise Institute is out with a new report today…
Illinois News Network
Illinois Could be Next State to Allow Freight Trucks to Utilize Emerging Technology
Illinois News Network cited Senior Fellow Marc Scribner on automated vehicle platooning. “Something like adaptive cruise control, a common driver assistance system,” Competitive Enterprise…
Fleet Owner
Platooning Still Held Back by Outdated State Laws, Report Says
Fleet Owner cited Senior Fellow Marc Scribner on Authorizing Automated Vehicle Platooning: A Guide for State Legislators. A …
Creators Syndicate Online
Trump Rules Make Driving Safer and Cheaper
The Creators Syndicate Online cited CEI on CAFE standards. Perhaps the biggest benefit of the new Trump standards is that they are expected…
Arizona Daily Star
More Realistic Fuel Economy Rule Would Cut Traffic Fatalities and Lower Gas Prices
The Trump administration has proposed to halt the steady increases in auto fuel economy standards that were part of backroom deals made by the Obama…
The Newburgh Gazette
19 States Vow to Sue Over Proposed Fuel Efficiency Rollbacks
The Newburgh Gazette cited Director of Global Warming and International Environmental Policy Myron Ebell on fuel economy standards. Myron Ebell, a senior energy scholar…
The Daily Caller
‘Make Cars Great Again’: Trump is Rolling Back Obama’s Vehicle Emissions Standards
The Daily Caller cited Director of Global Warming and International Environmental Policy Myron Ebell on fuel economy standards. “The administration’s announcement that it will…
Blog
Trump Revision of Obama-era Fuel Economy Rules Is No Climate Disaster
In a recent article in Energy and Environment News, several prominent climate scientists bash the Trump administration’s proposed rollback of the Obama administration’s…
Blog
New York City Continues War on Affordable Consumer Travel
Yesterday, the New York City Council voted to impose a one-year cap on the number of ride-hailing vehicles able to operate in the city.
Blog
Mileage Rule for New Cars Everything Free Marketers Hoped
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on August 2nd proposed to revise Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards and…
The Sacramento Bee
PRO: More Realistic Fuel Economy Rule Would Cut Traffic Fatalities and Lower Car Prices
The Trump Administration has proposed to halt the steady increases in auto fuel economy standards that were part of backroom deals made by the Obama…
News Release
CEI: Proposed Changes to CAFE Standards Are Good News for Consumers
Today, the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency released proposed revisions to future fuel economy standards set under the Obama Administration.
The Gazette
Iowa among states barring automated truck ‘platoons’
The Gazette cited CEI on Senior Fellow Marc Scribner’s report, “Authorizing Automated Vehicle Platooning“ A new report released this month by Competitive…
News Release
Trump Tariffs Will Harm US and EU
President Trump is set to meet with EU President Jean-Claude Juncker today, with trade tensions topic #1, but CEI Senior Fellow Iain Murray warns that…
Blog
House Transportation Chairman Proposes Examining Shift to User Fees for Highway Funding
Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA), the outgoing chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, this week released a legislative discussion draft of a new infrastructure bill,…
Blog
CEI Releases ‘Authorizing Automated Vehicle Platooning, 2018 Edition’
CEI has released my third annual report on state barriers to vehicle platooning, Authorizing Automated Vehicle Platooning: A Guide for State Legislators, 2018 Edition.
Blog
Last Chance for the 115th: Senate Should Pass AV START Act
Back when CEI published “Free to Prosper: A Pro-Growth Agenda for the 115th Congress” at the end of 2016, we wrote that “[t]o…
News Release
CEI on Potential Auto Tariff: “Trump Tax” Is Deeply Troubling
This week, the Trump administration launched a probe to consider imposing tariffs on imported automobiles. CEI Senior Fellow Marc Scribner warned such a "Trump tax" would be bad…
Blog
Debunking the Dilatory Objections to the AV START Act
In September 2017, the House of Representatives passed the SELF DRIVE Act by unanimous voice vote. The bill would for the first time establish…
SFGate
Trump, Top Car Executives Meet Amid Struggle Over Climate Rules for Automobiles
SFGate cited Myron Ebell on the need for diversification in motor vechicle standards in order to suit the diverse needs of Americans living across the…
Blog
Zero Emission Vehicles Can Increase Air Pollution: Study
A new report by economist Jonathan Lesser of the Manhattan Institute challenges the conventional wisdom that zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) are superior to new internal…
Blog
Clearing a Regulatory Path for Automated Trucks and Trains
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is the national safety regulator of heavy trucks and buses, or commercial motor vehicles. It was created in 2000…
The Washington Examiner
Trump’s Transition Chiefs Urge Him to Stay the Course On Auto Rollback
The Washington Examiner cited Myron Ebell in his signing a joint letter to the president urging him to stay on course in reforming auto emissions…
Letters
CEI Joins Trump Transition Leaders to Urge President Trump to Continue with CAFE Reforms
As members of your presidential transition team, we write to thank you for the tremendous progress that America has made under your leadership. As a…
Comment
CEI Comments on Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations
On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (“CEI”), I respectfully submit these comments in response to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (“FMCSA”) Request for…
Blog
Multi-State Petition against EPA Vehicle Standards Makes Weak Legal Case
California joined by 16 states and the District of Columbia yesterday petitioned the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to stop Environmental Protection Agency administrator…
C-SPAN
VIDEO: Marc Scribner Discusses Automotive Innovation and Wireless Technology at New America Event
C-SPAN covers New America’s event on automotive innovation and wireless technology featuring CEI Senior Fellow Marc Scribner as a panelist. …
C-SPAN
VIDEO: Marc Scribner Joins The Washington Journal to Discuss Trump’s Infrastructure Plan
CEI Senior Fellow Marc Scribner joined The Washington Journal on C-SPAN to discuss President Trump’s infrastructure plan.
Blog
Hope for Reforming Obama-Era Fuel Economy Mandates at EPA
The Environmental Protection Agency is approaching the April 1st deadline to complete its Midterm Evaluation of the Obama administration’s fuel economy and motor vehicle greenhouse…
Blog
Cracking Down on Automated Vehicles Would Mean More Death and Destruction
Real-life road testing is the best way to continue improving the performance of automated driving systems, thanks in part to the gathering of real-time road…
Blog
CEI Submits Comments to Federal Vehicle Regulator on Automated Driving Systems
The process for modernizing federal motor vehicle safety standards needs to be improved, thereby allowing for more rapid deployment of vehicles equipped with new self-driving technology…
Techdirt
Slowing Down Driverless Cars Would Be A Fatal Mistake
This article was cowritten with Caleb Watney, technology policy associate at the R Street Institute Unsubstantiated driverless car hype may be annoying, but that shouldn’t blind…
Blog
Skepticism of Driverless Car Hype Is Warranted But Shouldn’t Sacrifice Innovation and Safety
Applying the precautionary principle to the regulation of self-driving cars could mean more highway fatalities, by delaying the introduction of new, lifesaving technologies. …
Blog
Trump’s Infrastructure Plan: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
This morning, the White House released its long-anticipated, 53-page infrastructure proposal. It is an expansion of the leaked six-page summary that I commented…
WIRED
Outdated Auto Safety Regulations Threaten the Self-Driving Revolution
Self-driving cars should be welcomed for their substantial safety and mobility gains for the traveling public, especially the elderly and disabled. But the federal government’s failure…
Blog
Uber Wants to Make It Illegal to Operate Your Own Self-Driving Car in Cities
Beleaguered ridesourcing giant Uber has been criticized for a wide variety of sins, both real and imagined. But their biggest sin yet may be what…
Blog
#SOTU2018: All Eyes on Infrastructure
Despite the Trump administration’s misguided call for additional federal spending on infrastructure, there are some bright spots for free marketers in the administration's plan.
Politico
Study Bag
Politico’s Morning Transportation covers the release of Modernizing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards by Marc Scribner. Take a gander at a new…
Law360
Old Standards Holding Back Auto Safety Advancement
Law360 covers the release of Modernizing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards by Marc Scribner. Federal regulators’ failure to routinely update motor vehicle standards to keep…
The Washington Examiner
Congress in the Driver’s Seat on Self-Driving Cars
The Washington Examiner discusses self-driving cars with Marc Scribner. For auto manufacturers, technology experts, and lawmakers, 2018 is shaping up to be the year…
Blog
Congress Must Help Modernize Outdated Auto Safety Regulations
Congress should encourage safety regulators to more rapidly adopt modern standards developed by private professional organizations. …
News Release
Report: Auto Safety Lags Due to Outdated Government Standards
Motor vehicle safety should be a priority for Washington regulators, but regulators too often fail to update rules to stay current on the latest, best…
Study
Modernizing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
View Full Document as PDF Thousands of times per year in the United States, automobile drivers are temporarily blinded by the high…
Blog
Smart Policy Should Pave the Way for Advance of Automated Vehicles
The U.S. is already ahead of other countries in the race to perfect automated vehicles - the only roadblock is the government itself.
Blog
Two Cheers for Virginia’s I-66 Express Lanes
Virginia’s limited foray into uncapped variable tolling represents a fairer and more efficient way to manage traffic congestion and pay for surface transportation.
Blog
EPA Finalizes 2018 Renewable Fuel Standard Targets
Caving to pressure from Iowa Republican Sens. Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley, the Environmental Protection Agency decided to slightly increase rather than slightly decrease the overall…
Blog
When Will Regulators Let the Benefits of Driverless Cars Be Realized?
Driverless cars show great promise in improving the way human beings get around, particularly in reducing injuries and deaths from accidents and increasing mobility options…
Blog
How to Update Federal Auto Safety Rules to Conform to the Latest Technical Standards
Motor vehicle safety regulations in the United States frequently fail to incorporate the latest voluntary consensus standards developed by automotive technical experts.
Blog
Did Congress Stumble on a New Way to Modernize Auto Safety Rules?
The federal government has long recognized the virtues of adhering to consensus industry standards when regulating industrial activities, rather than attempting to invent technical standards…
Reason
VIDEO: Self-Driving Cars Will Make Most Auto Safety Regulations Unnecessary
Jim Epstein of Reason discusses self-driving cars with Marc Scribner. Federal auto safety regulations fill nearly 900 pages with standards that determine everything…
Blog
V2V Mandate Nixed: DOT Ends Second Most Costly U.S. Regulatory Proposal
the U.S. Department of Transportation will not promulgate a costly new regulation, setting the stage for withdrawal of its notice of proposed rulemaking mandating new…
Blog
CEI Calls on EPA to Reconsider More-Stringent Fuel Economy Standards
On Thursday, October 5, the Competitive Enterprise Institute submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding its Final Mid-Term Evaluation (MTE) of greenhouse…
Blog
A Good START for Automated Vehicle Technology that Should Extend to Trucking
Last week, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune (R-SD) and Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) introduced the American Vision for Safer Transportation Through Advancement of Revolutionary…
Washington Examiner
For Gregg Harper, the Issue of Driverless Cars Is Personal
The Washington Examiner discusses the SELF DRIVE Act with Marc Scribner. Livingston Harper always wants to be on the move. At least that’s what his…
Foundation for Economic Education
London’s Uber Ban Sends it Back to the Dark Ages
When I lived in London in the 1990s, I had to use pricey Black Cabs to get around the city at night. However, heaven help…
Bloomberg BNA
Self-Driving Truck Feud Shows Tech’s Vulnerability in Jobs Debate
Bloomberg BNA discusses the pushback by unions on self-driving trucks with Marc Scribner. A Senate effort to regulate self-driving trucks is spotlighting larger concerns…
Bloomberg
Best Self-Driving Tech Going Nowhere as Rules Stall Under Trump
Bloomberg discusses V2V regulations on self-driving cars with Marc Scribner. The technology that gives cars superpowers to see around corners and through walls…
Politico
Morning Transportation Mailbag
Politico’s Morning Transportation covers CEI’s comments to the Senate Commerce Committee on the AV START Act. The libertarian Competitive Enterprise Institute wrote to…
Blog
CEI Offers Recommendations to Improve Senate’s AV START Act
The draft legislation is another welcome early step from the federal government on self-driving vehicles.
Blog
NHTSA Releases Improved Federal Automated Driving System Guidance
The Department of Transportation is putting its money where its mouth is in preventing overregulation of automated driving systems.
Bloomberg
Trump’s Regulators Ease the Path for Self-Driving Cars
Bloomberg discusses President Trump’s upcoming rules for self-driving cars with Marc Scribner. The Trump administration will alter the course set by the Obama administration on…
Politico
Member Up
Politico’s Morning Transportation covers a coalition, including CEI, advocating for legislation relating to self-driving cars. Lyft, Third Way, the American Council of the…
Blog
Does Global Warming Increase Motor Vehicle Fatalities?
A new study by retired Yale University epidemiologist Leon Robertson blames global warming for a 7 percent increase in U.S. road deaths in 2015 compared…
Blog
Fuel Economy Regulations Threaten Vehicle Safety
In 1992 a federal appeals court found that CAFE undercuts vehicle safety, by causing cars to be made smaller and light in order to meet…
Blog
Rideshare Drivers’ Future at Stake in Seattle
Recent events represent an existential threat to ridesharing in Seattle, and put drivers, passengers, and communities at risk of serious harm.
The Guardian
Self-Driving Cars Must Have Technology to Prevent Use in Terror, Lawmakers Say
The Guardian discusses the House’s passage of the SELF DRIVE Act with Marc Scribner. Self-driving vehicles will need to be equipped with cybersecurity…
Ars Technica
House Passes Law to Accelerate Adoption of Self-Driving Technology
Ars Technica discusses the House’s passage of the SELF DRIVE Act with Marc Scribner. The House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved legislation…
The New York Times
Self-Driving Cars’ Prospects Rise With Vote by House
The New York Times discusses the House’s passage of the SELF DRIVE Act with Marc Scribner. Lawmakers in the House took a major…
Blog
SELF DRIVE Act to Face House Floor Vote
Congress needs to move forward on self-driving cars.
Deseret News
Task Force Considering New Revenue Models for Transportation Infrastructure
Deseret News covers Marc Scribner’s testimony before the Utah Transportation Governance and Funding Task Force. Utah lawmakers are trying to account for potential…
Blog
Motor Vehicle Fuel Efficiency Standards Are Inefficient: Study
The federal government’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program is a highly inefficient method for reducing either motor vehicle greenhouse gas emissions or U.S. oil…
Blog
EPA to Revise Greenhouse Gas Rules for Refurbished Trucks
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt this week approved a petition to revise the agency’s heavy truck greenhouse gas emission standards rule.
Blog
What Is the Future of Surface Transportation Finance and Governance?
The fuel tax is becoming an increasingly unstable source of dedicated user revenue.
Salt Lake Tribune
Will Self-Driving Cars, Taxis Make Mass Transit Obsolete?
The Salt Lake Tribune covers Marc Scribner’s testimony before the Transportation Governance and Funding Task Force in Utah. Utah officials have long planned…
Blog
California Legislature Moves to Replace Federal Electric Vehicle Subsidies
Thanks to the federal government, purchasers of electric vehicles are given a $7,500 tax credit.
Blog
House Energy & Commerce Committee Considers Self-Driving Vehicle Legislation
This bill improves on the definition of “automated driving system” in a manner that likely ensures its constitutionality.
Bloomberg BNA
Cybersecurity Questions Swirl Around Autonomous Vehicle Bills
Bloomberg BNA discusses autonomous vehicle regulations with Marc Scribner. The House Energy and Commerce Committee plans to mark up a bill July 27…
Blog
Does the Car of the Future Require a “Talking Car” Mandate?
The Competitive Enterprise Institute is hosting an event later today where a proposal to require all new cars in the United States come outfitted…
Freight Waves
Today’s Pickup: State Laws May Limit Potential of Platoons
Freight Waves covers Marc Scribner’s Authorizing Automated Vehicle Platooning: A Guide for State Legislators, 2017 Edition. While platooning vehicles are close to real-world operation,…
Trucks.com
Hodgepodge of Traffic Laws Could Stymie Truck Platooning
Trucks.com discusses automated vehicle platooning with Marc Scribner, author of Authorizing Automated Vehicle Platooning: A Guide for State Legislators, 2017 Edition. Truck platooning,…