Auto Rollback Goes to OMB Review
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) EPA and NHTSA on Tuesday sent their new auto emissions and fuel efficiency rules to the Office of Management and Budget for review, EPA confirmed to ME. This is the second half of the SAFE Vehicles rule and covers model years 2021 through 2026, following last fall’s first half that targeted California’s special authority to regulate vehicle emissions. Details are still scarce, but an EPA statement promised the rule will “save thousands of lives and on average reduce the cost of a new car by nearly $2,500,” figures in line with 2018’s proposal for a complete freeze. Interagency reviews, especially for complex multi-agency rules, oftentimes take three months or more, but Wheeler last week said he expects a speedy review and finalization within a month. (Reg. 2060-AU09) READ MORE
Trump administration moves closer to cutting fuel efficiency standards (The Hill)
TELECON EXTRAVAGANZA: (Politico’s Morning Energy)
Excerpt from Politico’s Morning Energy: TELECON EXTRAVAGANZA: EPA’s Science Advisory Board kicks off its first of four teleconference calls this afternoon to review draft reports on Trump administration regulations that the board’s workgroups concluded had major flaws. The critical reviews — of Trump administration proposals to weaken rules on greenhouse gas emissions from cars, mercury emissions from power plants and which waterways are to received federal protections, as well as the proposed science “transparency” rule — were conducted at the board’s own initiative, a fact that is especially notable since the majority of the panel’s members were appointed by the Trump administration. READ MORE
