New Fuel Economy Rule Sent to OMB

The Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) recently received the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation’s rule updating fuel economy standards.

CEI General Counsel Sam Kazman said:

“We understand that DOT and EPA have finally transmitted their planned CAFE rule to OIRA. We do not know the rule’s details, but we hope that it is in line with the rollback of mandated fuel-economy levels that the agencies first proposed in August 2018. If so, we commend the agencies for finally moving forward with these reforms. These reforms will increase consumer choice, reduce costs, and increase public awareness of this program’s lethal impact on traffic safety in the past. Environmentalists claim that stringent CAFE standards are necessary for our protection, but the facts show otherwise.

“However, to the extent that the rule continues to impose needless efficiency standards on new cars, it will still have adverse consequences for consumers.  The real test will be whether DOT and EPA have done their best to acknowledge these effects and to minimize their magnitude.”

Read more:

• Will Trump ‘SAFE’ Rule for New Cars Harm Public Health?
• Trump Administration Pushes Back on California’s Fuel Economy Scheming