U.S. administration's fuel efficiency plan would hurt industry, consumers

This month, the Trump administration issued a notice of proposed rule-making that, if finalized, would cast aside the commitment by Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama to increase fuel economy and reduce pollution.

In doing so, the administration is on a path that could needlessly upend a regulatory framework that has brought together disparate interests, delivered predictability to automakers, improved cars and reduced pollution.

As such, the proposed new rules run counter to what Ford, General Motors and others across the industry have advocated. In fact, the industry and California appear largely aligned on how to proceed in resetting fuel efficiency standards, and the only missing player is the Trump administration, despite the president's prior direction to his team to negotiate.

Given that, it is not too late for federal agencies to use the regulatory process as intended: for serious stakeholder dialogue. Accordingly, here are three key points that the needed dialogue must recognize:

1. Abandoning the One National Program framework breaks from the program's bipartisan history.

2. The administration's proposal will hurt the U.S. auto industry.

3. The administration uses a range of questionable assumptions that defy common sense, especially regarding safety, to justify this proposal.


Much more: http://www.autonews.com/article/20180813/OEM11/180819978/u-s-administrations-fuel-efficiency-plan-would-hurt-industry