Dealers, automakers working on weakening emissions rules

Dealers, automakers working on weakening emissions rules

At the NADA Convention, 2017 Chairman Mark Scarpelli said it was important to adjust the deadlines for the fuel economy rules approved in December by outgoing EPA officials.

NADA and the automakers have protested the idea of keeping the original rules in place ever since the draft midterm report was released early last summer. They argue that the rules which require automakers to raise the average fuel efficiency of their U.S. fleets to 54.5 mpg by 2025 fail to take into account U.S. buyersê renewed enthusiasm for utilities and light trucks.

Scarpelli said that complying with the emissions rules could add $1,500 to $3,000 to the price of the vehicle, according to Reuters.

Ford Motor CEO Mark Fields, who also spoke at the NADA Convention, said he and other automaker CEOs told Trump that the emissions rules, if their deadlines are unchanged, could put up to 1 million jobs at risk, Reuters reported. U.S. jobs appear to be a big concern for Trump. And newly installed EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has expressed his eagerness to cut back on federal regulations. Perhaps this all bodes well for the industry!

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