EPA and NHTSA Propose Rollback of Federal Clean Car Standards

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a proposed rule to weaken the greenhouse gas emission and fuel economy standards for light-duty vehicles model years (MY) 2021-2026. The proposed rule outlines several options for revising the vehicle standards. The preferred option is to freeze the emission standards and fuel economy targets at 2020 levels through 2026, rather than increasing those standards each year as provided in the original rule.

The agencies are also soliciting public comment on revoking California’s Clean Air Act waiver for greenhouse gases, which allows California to set more stringent standards than the federal standards which other states are then allowed to adopt.

The proposal was published in the Federal Register on August 24, 2018. Comments are due October 23, 2018.