Trump to Propose Freezing Auto Standards at 2020 Levels, Source Says

• April 27 2018
• Jennifer A Dlouhy, Ryan Beene

U.S. regulators are poised to propose to freeze fuel-efficiency standards for cars and light trucks after 2020, according to a person familiar with the plan.

U.S. regulators are poised to propose to freeze fuel-efficiency standards for cars and light trucks after 2020, according to a person familiar with the plan.

A draft of the proposed rule, still being developed, outlines eight scenarios for replacing the Obama-era requirements that aimed to slash carbon dioxide emissions from cars and light trucks.

The government’s preferred option would freeze requirements from 2020 to 2026, said the person, who asked to speak anonymously because deliberations are private.

The administration has not yet decided whether to include a provision taking aim at a waiver allowing California to set vehicle standards exceeding those of the federal government.

The details will emerge in a joint effort by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Environmental Protection Agency to rewrite automobile efficiency standards enacted in 2012 by the Obama administration. Those rules aimed to boost fuel economy to more than 50 miles per gallon by 2025, or roughly 36 miles per gallon in real-world driving.

In April, the Trump administration said the Obama standards were too stringent and needed to be revised.