I’m Shocked! Trump’s Cut to Fuel Economy Regulations Will Cost Consumers More Money

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Who would’ve thought it? Regulations that were put in place in order to make cars and trucks more fuel efficient and save people money are important for making cars and trucks more fuel efficient and saving people money, and when you completely cut those regulations, consumers are going to end up paying more.

Let’s be honest — most people don’t think in very thorough or analytical ways when it comes to even major purchases. People buy bigger houses for the same money 45 minutes from work, and don’t realize they are going to end up paying more for the extra gas than they saved by moving further out into the suburbs. People buy inefficient vehicles because they cost $5,000 less than the efficient ones, and they don’t realize they’re going to end up spending more than $5,000 extra on the additional fuel. It’s been going on for decades, and it’s not going to change.

After a number of financial and fuel crises, the US government stepped in and started requiring that automakers work harder at making vehicles more fuel efficient. As time has gone on, those requirements have increased, understanding that new technology makes it easier for automakers to lessen fuel costs for consumers. However, dumb Donald Trump comes in and decides any rules for corporate giants in the US are bad and anything requiring better protection of the environment and climate is bad, and he proceeds to gut these fuel economy standards. Unsurprisingly, a new analysis finds that the result will end up being higher transportation expenditures for Americans.

“The Trump administration pitched its changes to the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards as a vehicle affordability play, but the fine print shows that NHTSA expects consumers to pay more for fuel, an expense that will top the predicted savings on transaction price,” Automotive News writes.

Yes, the analysis comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It is not from some biased organization or some consultant with limited analytical capability who didn’t take everything into account. It’s from the NHTSA. But, then again, this should have been very obvious to everyone.

“Such a dramatic shift in policy would halt five decades of progress toward U.S. cars that are cheaper and cleaner to run,” E2 wrote before the changes were finalized.

Bob Keefe, executive director of the national nonpartisan business group E2, added: “The only thing this does is make it easier for manufacturers to sell us less efficient cars that require more gas — and more money to fill up. That’s a good thing if you’re in the oil business, but not if you’re in any other business.”  Indeed.

“Since CAFE was signed into law in 1975, the standards have reduced American oil consumption by 25%, or approximately 5 million barrels a day, according to NHTSA,” E2 adds. “CAFE standards have saved the average household $630 to $840 per year, according to some estimates. They reduce harmful and costly health outcomes such as premature mortality, acute bronchitis, respiratory emergency room visits, and work-loss days.” Oh yeah, there are also all those extra health costs that come from the extra pollution….

“The rollback of the CAFE standards will reduce clean vehicle options, instead burdening America’s drivers with more gas-guzzlers, more expensive trips to the gas station, and a greater reliance on oil and gas, when families are already struggling with the high cost of living,” Plug In America stated a couple weeks ago.

Of course, this is all just more of the same or par for the course from the Trump administration, which has been hell bent on doing more for fossil fuel producers and doing less for normal American people. “This is not the first time the CAFE standards have come under attack by the Trump administration and their allies in Congress,” the Union of Concerned Scientists added. “Earlier this year, DOT finalized an interpretive rule without public input that gave automakers a free pass to ignore the CAFE standards on the books. And Republicans’ reconciliation bill stripped NHTSA’s ability to enforce CAFE standards by zeroing out penalties for noncompliance. These standards are complementary but separate from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s greenhouse gas standards for cars and trucks, which are also being targeted for repeal by the Trump administration.”

I mean, it’s either completely idiotic or corrupt — or both — to push these kinds of changes to policies that have helped Americans for decades, but that’s what we get from Don the Con Trump and his team. No one should be surprised.