EPA rejects petition to postpone emissions standards
The Environmental Protection Agency has rejected a petition from the two major automaker groups to extend the comment period for its emissions standards beyond December 30. The groups, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and Association of Global Automakers, had asked for an extension after the EPA issued final rules for public comment at the end of November, in what NADA called a midnight regulation that EPA rushed through.
In its midterm assessment last summer, the EPA said that automakers were on track to meet the 2025 fleetwide goal of 54.5 mpg by 2025, set in 2012. Since then, automaker groups, individual automakers and NADA have said that the goal is unrealistic in light of the market shift to utilities and light trucks. Automakers agreed to the standards in 2012 because they were anxious to have a nationwide standard instead of a patchwork of state laws. The EPA said when it issued final rules in November that it wanted to help automakers by giving them a firm goal to plan for.
Both NADA and the automakers said they will work with the Trump administration to overturn the emissions rules.
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