66 House Reps Move To Block 2017-2025 CAFE Proposal

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

The Detroit News reports that 66 US Representatives wrote to the House Appropriations Committee today to urge a measure blocking the EPA from regulating fuel economy in the 2017-2025 period. The letter, signed by 64 Republicans and three Democrats requests

A one-year ‘time out’ is necessary as EPA and (California) are setting national fuel economy standards without explicit authorization by Congress, under laws not designed to regulate fuel economy

According to the DetN, “the proposal would let the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration go forward with setting fuel economy requirements, but under the law it could only set new requirements through 2021.” And unlike past battles over CAFE, opposition this time around does not appear to be coming from the OEMs, but from NADA, the new car dealer lobby group. The only OEM to not sign onto proposed 2017-2025 standards is Volkswagen, which is reportedly in talks with regulators over the proposal.

Meanwhile, environmental groups lashed back at NADA, with a number of groups sending a letter to the lobbying group arguing that

These standards are supported by major automakers, the United Auto Workers, California and other clean car states, and numerous consumer, environmental, business and national security organizations. By continuing to oppose these standards, NADA is trying to sell Congress, dealers and the American people a lemon

The response from dealers?

Dealers face the customer every day and fully understand what will happen if vehicle prices rise $3,000 to $10,000. None of the organizations that sent this letter, DOT (Department of Transportation) or EPA, fully understand the cost of these fuel economy increases and the impact that it will have on auto sales.

The revived debate comes just days after Edmunds CEO Jeremy Anwyl argued that proposed regulations failed to take consumer preference into account. With Rep Darryl Issa attacking CAFE and GHG regulation on all fronts, and with plenty to criticize in the proposed standards, expect this debate to rage on.


Edward Niedermeyer
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  • Sideshowtom98 Sideshowtom98 on Oct 21, 2011

    Ciddyguy why am I not surprised that you drive a POS Ranger, a charitable donation from a family member, after your POS Honda died, and you could not afford to replace it with money you earned yourself? Anyone who can support themselves, and has the personal and financial wherewithal to drive any vehicle they choose, rightfully chafes at the idea of government regulation over that choice. Where do you, especially given your user, rather than producer lifestyle, get off telling anyone, that the Goverment should have the right to force us into smaller vehicles? Maybe given your lack of ability to drive anything short of a charitable donation from your family, the government should force you to use only public transportation. Lenin had a phrase for people that could be convinced that government could solve their problems, "usefull idiots".

  • Seabasstin Seabasstin on Oct 22, 2011

    A few questions to Don1967, Herm, and some others who want EPA/CAFE and other regulations removed for the sake of the country. Why do you not want to reduce how much oil americans use? Do you not understand WHERE most oil comes from? Do you not remember where Bin Laden, Gaddafi, Saddam etc come from? Why do you not want to reduce the size/weight of cars on the road? Do you not realize that most of the Steel we use to make cars is from China, do you not understand that the tons of PLASTICs we use are made from petroleum? Why is it a good idea in any way for Americans to keep funding terrorist who HATE america by buying more oil from them? Why does it make any sense to keep putting pressure on limited resources that even the US armed forces see as our single biggest weakness? Who do you think lobbies the most against cafe? American car companies or the governments of UAE, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, etc? What do you think happens to all the money that is spent in the US on oil? do you think it stays in American bank accounts? Do you realize the name of one of the RICHEST Saudi oil families is Bin Laden? Do you realize that without EPA regulations, you could not go fishing in the gulf of mexico or drink tap water in texas, Pennsylvania, west virginia, Kentucky, etc, or drink Milk from California or Wisconsin? I LOVE cars, I love going fast, I love muscle cars, When I see a 1969 camero my knees go weak. I have owned a gaggle of old oil (1964 ford fairlane, 1971 Benz 300D, etc) and I would be mad if I was forced by anyone to buy a camry or an malibu, or a taurus, or an escalade. But I wouldn't be mad if the industry was forced even more then it is now to reduce its out of control spending, in areas that do not benefit America in ANY way. Each large SUV and Gas guzzler sold in america only benefit China and Oil producing nations. we only get the dregs of that market. Because of all of this, I am more excited about the creative power of human engineering and the ingenuity that goes into making every engine, every transmission, every body design. And I believe engineers will love to take the challenge of building smoother, faster, better, AND more efficient designs. ONLY one group of people will not want this, and its all the middlemen who don't want to reduce their cuts. Which is why it makes total sense that the car dealers lobby, the lobby representing the LEAST trusted american 'middlemen', are fighting against this regulation. (even bellow lawyers). This is why comments such as yours mystify me because they are SO un-American. Why would you want to live in a country that depends on its existence on the products of its enemies? Why would you want to live in a country where you can't fish in rivers that have been polluted by the PCBs of unregulated manufacturing, where schools are built without concern for toxic waste dumps underneath them, and with school buildings built without codes, to prevent the collapse on all the children in them. That is what China is like today, and everyday you hear incredible stories of rivers catching fire, or clouds of toxic gas killing everyone in villages downwind from a chemical factory. Is this what we want the US to return too? A place where short term profit making can REALLY take over and reduce the country to a giant unregulated playground? We already went trough this period, its now time to create and work with the rules to make better products, better technology and reduce our payments to the funders of terrorist, whose sole aim is to destroy the american dream! If you really want to be american, buy a car that uses no foreign oil, does not use tons of Steel from China, and does not destroy the land we love. I dont care if you don't believe in global warming or that god will save you, even in the bible the people escape servitude and fight against the injustice of being subjugated by tyrants. OIL= funding for our enemies! get this in your heads people!

  • Jkross22 When I think about products that I buy that are of the highest quality or are of great value, I have no idea if they are made as a whole or in parts by unionized employees. As a customer, that's really all I care about. When I think about services I receive from unionized and non-unionized employees, it varies from C- to F levels of service. Will unionizing make the cars better or worse?
  • Namesakeone I think it's the age old conundrum: Every company (or industry) wants every other one to pay its workers well; well-paid workers make great customers. But nobody wants to pay their own workers well; that would eat into profits. So instead of what Henry Ford (the first) did over a century ago, we will have a lot of companies copying Nike in the 1980s: third-world employees (with a few highly-paid celebrity athlete endorsers) selling overpriced products to upper-middle-class Americans (with a few urban street youths willing to literally kill for that product), until there are no more upper-middle-class Americans left.
  • ToolGuy I was challenged by Tim's incisive opinion, but thankfully Jeff's multiple vanilla truisms have set me straight. Or something. 😉
  • ChristianWimmer The body kit modifications ruined it for me.
  • ToolGuy "I have my stance -- I won't prejudice the commentariat by sharing it."• Like Tim, I have my opinion and it is perfect and above reproach (as long as I keep it to myself). I would hate to share it with the world and risk having someone critique it. LOL.
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