The Trump administration’s proposal to roll back fuel economy standards would raise Americans’ expenses and unnecessarily increase energy use, the Alliance to Save Energy said in comments submitted to the EPA and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) this week. The Alliance urged the agencies to abandon the proposal.

“Let’s be honest about what this really means. Freezing our standards from 2021-2025, the Administration’s preferred option, means they’ve decided to give up,” said Jason Hattie, president of the Alliance to Save Energy. “They’re giving up on progress and innovation. They’re giving up on being a global leader on fuel efficient vehicles and reducing harmful pollution. And sadly, they’re giving up on saving Americans millions and millions of dollars….”

The alliance says the proposal also “throws out years of thoughtful, fair, and negotiated discussions among the key stakeholders,” including the federal government, the State of California, automakers, and others. Rolling back fuel economy standards would mean not keeping pace with nations like Japan and Europe, which already have tighter standards in their markets today than the US would have in 2020.

The alliance’s comments are in response to an August proposal from the EPA and NHTSA to roll back fuel economy standards that are in place for 2021-2026 model year light-duty vehicles. The proposal would freeze model year 2020 fuel economy standards through 2025 and withdraw the California Clean Air Act waiver, which the alliance says would “significantly undermine one of the most impactful energy efficiency policies in US history.”

When the Trump administration announced its intentions to roll back vehicle greenhouse gas and fuel efficiency standards last June, 17 states, including California, filed a lawsuit over the decision.

The transportation sector accounts for about a third of all the energy used in the US today, and it’s now responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than power plants, according to the 50×50 Commission on US Transportation, a partnership of public and private stakeholders including automakers, utilities, public interest groups, product manufacturers, and technology providers. The commission, which aims to reduce energy use from transportation by 50% by 2050, released a set of recommendations earlier this month to help the US achieve that goal. These included suggestions to:

• Transform our sector into a more energy-efficient, integrated, coordinated, and modern transportation system;
• Innovate solutions to existing and future challenges;
• Invest in the foundation to get us there.

The 43-page document outlines these suggestions in detail.