Thus continuing Donald Trump’s efforts to erase anything with Barack Obama’s name on it….And doing this while the nation’s attention is on the virus crisis…
California and other states are trying to oppose this as are car makers….
Less miles per gallon of gas is against climate change efforts and would cost consumers MORE money in a time when gas prices have dropped significantly …..
The Trump administration is expected on Tuesday to roll out a rule that would drastically cut the fuel economy standards negotiated under the Obama administration in an effort to battle climate change, according to The New York Times.
The Trump rule is reported to cut the year-over-year improvement in mileage required of automakers.
While the Obama-era rule required automakers to produce fleets that average nearly 55 mpg by 2026. Instead, the Trump rule could bring that number down to 40 mpg over the same timeline.
The Trump administration has argued that cutting Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards will allow automakers to produce cheaper cars, something they say will save lives as low prices spur consumers to upgrade to new vehicles with better safety features that guzzle less gas than older models.
But critics say the rule raises concerns about health, the environment and the economy.
“The administration is unraveling the biggest and most successful climate policy on the books, one that has also saved consumers millions of dollars in gasoline costs, cut air pollution, and helped grow the auto industry,” Ken Kimmell, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists, said in a statement.
“This new rule leaves the country worse off. In the near term, it’s a massive transfer of tens of billions of dollars from drivers to oil companies,” he added. “It also cedes American leadership in vehicle manufacturing, putting the automakers at risk in a global market. In the long term, it’s even worse — a deliberate decision to steer us at high speed toward a more dangerous climate.”
Transportation is now the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the nation, according to research by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with pollution from cars and trucks outpacing that of electricity as utilities move away from coal….
Former President Obama on Tuesday urged voters to “demand better” of the government after the Trump administration rolled back a key Obama-era fuel standard intended to combat climate change.
“We’ve seen all too terribly the consequences of those who denied warnings of a pandemic. We can’t afford any more consequences of climate denial,” Obama tweeted. “All of us, especially young people, have to demand better of our government at every level and vote this fall.”…
More…
And all over the world, one of the very few silver linings to the massive industrial shutdown is that the skies are much cleaner and brighter (especially over China).
It took a couple of decades for the S.F. Bay Area to clear up after the California Air Resources Board (CARB) started enforcing stricter emissions standards on both industry and vehicles; but a month or two of industrial shutdown combined with far fewer cars on the road seems to have done the same elsewhere.
It would be interesting to see how much pollution that Asians, Americans and Europeans would tolerate from a quick return to the same dirty cars and factories.
I tell ya around my way the airplanes still are inbound…
But the numbers seem less…
And the roads?
Forget about it….
It’s like after Hurricane Sandy when there wasn’t gas…
But its been like this for two weeks…
I know people don’t want to talk much about the economy..
But it’s gonna be a serious recession as the second punch from the virus…