CEI Statement on EPA Commitment to Fuel Standards

EPA’s proposed Mid-Term Evaluation (MET) of its greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards for model year 2022-2025 passenger vehicles is the ultimate midnight regulation. Even though the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) told automakers and other stakeholders in July that EPA would propose its MET in mid-2017 and finalize it in April 2018, EPA proposed the rule today. The comment period is only 30 days. EPA clearly intends to finalize its 2022-2025 GHG motor vehicle standards, which function as de-facto fuel economy standards, before President-elect Trump takes office on January 20, 2017.

Competitive Enterprise Institute senior fellow Marlo Lewis provided the following statement on the EPA’s commitment to its fuel standards:

“EPA’s fuel standards will add hundreds to thousands of dollars to the cost of new motor vehicles. Consequently, the standards could destroy auto industry jobs and undermine U.S. competitiveness if gasoline prices remain low and millions of households don’t want to pay hefty price premiums for high-miles-per-gallon vehicles.”