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.
Director of CEI’s Center for Energy and Environment Myron Ebell said:
“The administration’s announcement that it will relax future fuel economy (CAFE) standards is good news for consumers. It means that the federal government will have slightly less control over the kinds of cars and trucks people can buy. It might even cause car prices to stop increasing so rapidly. Even better news is the decision to take California out of the driver’s seat for setting CAFE standards for the entire country. Letting one state make decisions for people in other states makes a bad program even worse, especially since the state is California, which has been pursuing an anti-car agenda for decades.”
CEI General Counsel Sam Kazman said:
“CAFE was recognized long ago as a threat to highway safety. That recognition came from analysts, consumer advocates, and even a federal court. With today’s announcement, the federal government is finally acting to reduce that threat. It’s doing so despite feverish claims by environmentalists and Sacramento bureaucrats, who apparently think that the US is seceding from California. They need to get real.”
CEI Senior Fellow Marlo Lewis said:
“Since California started to determine the stringency of fuel economy standards, new car prices have increased $6,800 above the pre-2009 baseline trend, according to estimates in a Heritage Foundation study. The National Auto Dealers Association estimates the federal standards demanded by California will add $3,000 to the cost of new motor vehicles by 2025, potentially pricing millions of low-income households out of the market for new cars. Kicking California bullies out of the fuel economy playground will expand consumer choice while making new cars more affordable.”