Two Federal Agencies Struggle With New Law To Roll Back Auto-Emissions Regulations

Two federal agencies are struggling to finish new rules to roll back auto-emissions regulations, according to auto industry lobbyists and government officials with knowledge of the process, reported the Wall Street Journal. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Transportation Department (DOT) are clashing over the underlying rationale for the new regulations, which are aimed at reducing requirements set under the Obama administration, these people said.

The new rule will set requirements for tailpipe emissions and fuel economy for vehicles built through mid-decade. Administration officials hope to complete the rule by April 1, but are likely to miss that target, the people said. The delays could further prolong uncertainty for the auto industry, which is trying to lock in plans now for new models due out in the coming years.

The rule requires the agencies to produce hundreds of pages of technical analysis, explaining its predicted impact on everything from the environment to highway safety and the US labor market.

Some EPA staff have challenged the DOT’s analysis and don’t feel the agency has had adequate say in how the new regulations are being crafted, some of the people say.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the DOT’s primary agency on auto regulations, has been charged with taking the lead on the rule, according to a senior White House official involved in the process. He defended the agency’s analysis.

This tension has left critical parts of the draft rule unfinished as the deadline nears and a lack of input from the EPA could make the rule vulnerable to legal challenges down the line, Sen. Thomas Carper, (Democrat – Delaware), warned in a letter sent Wednesday, February 26, to the EPA’s inspector general.

Full Content: Wall Street Journal

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