The White House could abandon its plan to freeze the fuel efficiency standards of cars at 2020 levels, reversing a cornerstone policy of Trump’s campaign, reports The Wall Street Journal.
The administration is now reportedly considering a 1.5 percent annual increase instead.
Under Obama, car companies were going to have to nearly double the efficiency of their vehicles, to an average of 54 miles per gallon, by the year 2025. They argued this would make cars too expensive, prompting Trump to propose a new plan that would freeze fuel efficiency standards at an average 37 miles per gallon, just above where they are today.
California has decided to go ahead and commit to those Obama-era goals a decision that angered the president.
Henry Ford would be very disappointed if he saw his modern-day descendants wanting to build a much more expensive car, that is far less safe and doesn’t work as well, because execs don’t want to fight California regulators. Car companies should know….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 21, 2019
California lawmakers struck a deal with Ford, Volkswagen, Honda, and BMW to increase the fuel efficiency of their vehicles and reduce emissions by about 3.7 percent, through the year 2026.
And since other states follow California’s lead on air regulation, the deal has the potential to split the market if the Trump administration enacts a federal rule with lower standards, our transportation reporter Sean O’Kane explained in August.
