US President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered a review of tough US vehicle fuel-efficiency standards put in place by the administration of former US preident Barack Obama, handing a victory to auto industry executives and provoking criticism from Democrats and environmental groups.
In a move widely seen as a preamble to loosening fuel standards, Trump told an audience of cheering union workers, he would “ensure that any regulations we have protect and defend your jobs, your factories,” and promised he would encourage growth in the US auto sector.
“The assault on the American auto industry is over,” Trump said, standing in front of a banner that read “Buy American-Hire American.”
Photo: Reuters
Trump added that the White House is “setting up a task force in every federal agency to identify and remove any regulation that undermines American auto production.”
The backdrop and message underscored Trump’s efforts to lock down support in industrial states such as Michigan that put him in the White House.
Trump spoke at the site of the former Willow Run bomber factory in Ypsilanti, Michigan, which won fame for building an operational B-24 heavy bomber every 59 minutes during World War II.
The site is being redeveloped as a testing ground for autonomous vehicles.
‘HIRE AMERICAN’
At a roundtable with industry leaders Trump made clear he expected automakers to hire more Americans in return, a theme that dominated his election campaign.
“We’re going to do some wonderful work with you, but you’re going to have to help us with jobs,” he said.
Trump’s event was attended by about 1,000 people, including automotive executives, United Auto Workers union president Dennis Williams — who sat next to Trump — and workers from Detroit’s “Big Three” automakers: General Motors Co, Ford Motor Co and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV.
Auto industry executives have said they are hopeful the Trump administration will pursue tax and regulatory policies that would benefit US manufacturers.
Reopening the fuel efficiency rules put in place by Obama days before he left office is one of the top items on the industry’s agenda.
Automakers, through their lobbying groups, have said the Obama rules were too expensive and could cost US jobs.
“These standards are costly for automakers and the American people,” Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt said.
After one participant at the meeting mentioned environmental concerns, Trump said he agreed, but did not want an “extra thimbleful of fuel” to get in the way of growth.
It could take a year for the review process to play out and Wednesday’s event was effectively a starting gun for intense lobbying efforts over how government policy will drive technology investment decisions in the auto sector.
Critics like US Senator Edward Markey said Trump’s move could hurt consumers.
CONSUMERS PAY
“Filling up their cars and trucks is the energy bill Americans pay most often, but President Trump’s rollback of fuel economy emissions standards means families will end up paying more at the pump,” Markey said.
Trump is not seeking to revoke California’s authority to set vehicle efficiency rules even stricter than federal rules, including mandated sales of electric vehicles, a White House official said.
The official did not rule out seeking to withdraw California’s authority in the future.
Pruitt would not commit during his Senate confirmation hearing to allowing California to continue its own clean vehicle rules.
A group of 10 state attorneys general led by California and New York said they would fight attempts to weaken the rules.
Under the 2012 agreement with the industry, the EPA was given until April next year to decide whether the standards were feasible under a “midterm review,” but the agency moved up its decision to a week before Obama left office in a bid to maintain a key part of his administration’s environmental legacy.
An EPA analysis indicated that compared with previous rules, the 2025 standards would result in savings of between US$1,460 and US$1,620 over the lifetime of a vehicle and payback for new technology required to meet the new standards of around five years.
The Obama administration said the rules would cost the auto industry US$200 billion over 13 years, but save motorists US$1.7 trillion over the life of the vehicles.
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