Major automakers in the United States say they are looking to reach agreement with California on fuel emissions standards and efficiency rules. They also support increases in mileage standards through 2025.
Trump administration proposes freezing emissions standards
Major automakers in the United States say they are looking to reach an agreement with California over fuel efficiency standards and are telling the Trump administration that they support continued increases in mileage standards through 2025.
Reuters reports that on Tuesday, Mitch Bainwol, chief executive of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers will tell a US House of Representatives panel “We support standards that increase year over year that also are consistent with marketplace realities”.
Bainwol’s written testimony to the panel was released on Monday.
Currently, the Trump administration is considering revising fuel economy standards imposed by the Obama government which are set to run through 2025. One of the Trump administration’s proposed changes to the plan is to freeze standards through 2026 which would effectively allow automakers to delay investments in technology that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated by cars.
The Obama rules called for a doubling of average fleetwide fuel efficiency to about 50 miles per gallon by 2025.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has yet to formally submit its joint proposal with the Environmental Protection Agency to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review.
However, last week, California and 16 other states sued to challenge the Trump administration’s possible decision to revise US emissions standards and fuel rules.
According to Reuters, automakers have been meeting with the Trump administration for months, urging the government to reach a deal with California, despite supporting a slowdown of the pace of reduction in carbon dioxide emissions enacted by the Obama administration.
Automakers and President Trump are scheduled to meet on Friday. One official with the industry told Reuters the president should consider the efficiency regulations called for by California to be like a foreign trade deal that needs to be renegotiated.
The industry is looking to Trump to get a “better deal”, instead of leaving them mired in uncertainty because of years of litigation between major US states and federal regulators.
Trump is set to meet with GM, Ford, Fiat Chrysler, Toyota, Volkswagen and Daimler executives along with other heavyweights in the auto industry on Friday to talk about revising the emissions standards and vehicle rules.
Senior EPA and Transportation Department officials will also attend the meeting.
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