Will EPA’s plan for broadened biofuels delay EV adoption?

2022 Ford E-Series Flex-Fuel  -  E85 compatibleThe EPA is preparing to set new standards that broaden biofuels incentives and could provide cleaner electricity for EV charging. But the proposal faces criticism from some environmental groups who claim it inadvertently supports the market for internal combustion engines instead. The agency on Thursday released proposed Renewable Fuel Standard...

EPA wants to limit the studies behind environmental regulations

EPA Acting Administrator Andrew WheelerIn a move ostensibly aimed at increasing regulatory transparency, the EPA has proposed new rules that would require extensive disclosure of the data gathered in the research behind public health regulation—including confidential health records. While improving transparency sounds reasonable at face value, this is actually a calculated move...

California vs. EPA: Survey finds a party-line rift in emissions battle

Uber self-driving prototype in San FranciscoAmerican consumer opinions regarding the ongoing battle between California and the EPA fall generally along party lines, a survey conducted earlier this week found. While the conflict between the Trump administration and the state of California is constantly deepening, the catalyst for the current situation was the EPA's announcement that it would...

Report: EPA to reveal MPG plan, remove California emissions authority

Uber self-driving prototype in San FranciscoThe EPA is expected to formally announce Wednesday how it plans to revoke the waiver that permits California to set its own greenhouse-gas standards under the federal Clean Air Act, according to media reports. The timeline for the move, which is aimed to lay the groundwork for a single set of national fuel economy standards, comes via Bloomberg...

EPA chief softens stance on fuel-economy rollback

EPA Acting Administrator Andrew WheelerU.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Andrew Wheeler is sending signals that the Trump administration's plans to roll back Obama-era fuel-efficiency standards may not go forward as originally outlined. According to Wheeler, "key aspects" of the strategy are still under review. Wheeler told Bloomberg that while the administration remains...

Survey: Vast majority of Americans want higher mpg in new vehicles

2020 Hyundai Ioniq (European spec)There was a time when freezing federal vehicle emissions and fuel economy standards was something that automakers, a wide range of companies, and a very significant portion of the American public might have backed. But that isn’t the case today. A new nationally representative survey from Consumer Reports, conducted in June but released last...

California sues Trump administration again over fuel economy fines

Traffic at the I-10 & I-405 interchange in Los Angeles, California (by Mario Roberto Duran Ortiz)California launched another lawsuit against the Trump administration over fuel economy regulations on Friday, this time over a federal decision to suspend planned increases in penalties for automakers who miss required targets. In announcing the lawsuit, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra accused the Trump administration of trying to make...