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Don't roll back fuel economy standards, groups tell U.S. EPA

President Barack Obama announces new fuel economy standards in 2011.  President Donald Trump says he will roll back the standards.
Obama White House
President Barack Obama announces new fuel economy standards in 2011. President Donald Trump says he will roll back the standards.
President Barack Obama announces new fuel economy standards in 2011.  President Donald Trump says he will roll back the standards.
Credit Obama White House
/
Obama White House
President Barack Obama announces new fuel economy standards in 2011. President Donald Trump says he will roll back the standards.

Stateside's conversation with Jeff Alson

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency held its second of three public listening sessions Tuesday, this one in Dearborn, on its proposal to freeze increases in fuel economy standards after 2020.

But even automakers that don't support the current standards say a freeze is going too far, as David Shepardson of Reuters reports.

Meanwhile, most health, consumer, and environmental groups oppose any loosening of the standards, which become stricter every year through 2026. Auto suppliers that specialize in fuel economy technology also oppose a rollback.

Former EPA officials also say the freeze would be a mistake.

Jeff Alson is a former EPA policy advisor who worked on the current standards for a decade, before leaving the agency in early 2018. He says a rollback will increase greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful pollutants, and force consumers to pay more at the pump.

And he says it could limit job growth.

"If we cut back on these standards while the Chinese and Europeans and Japanese continue to set more and more stringent standards, I'm afraid we're going to lose our technology leadership," says Alson. "And that could have a big impact on the health and well-being of our domestic industry."

The EPA says rolling back the standards will make cars more affordable. And the agency says cars will be safer, because automakers will not have to boost their reliance on lightweighting to make cars more fuel efficient.

Copyright 2021 Michigan Radio. To see more, visit Michigan Radio.

Tracy Samilton covers the auto beat for Michigan Radio. She has worked for the station for 12 years, and started out as an intern before becoming a part-time and, later, a full-time reporter. Tracy's reports on the auto industry can frequently be heard on Morning Edition and All Things Considered, as well as on Michigan Radio. She considers her coverage of the landmark lawsuit against the University of Michigan for its use of affirmative action a highlight of her reporting career.
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