The Environmental Protection Agency’s emission regulations present automakers with some pretty lofty goals. So, with a new U.S. president in office, they’re hoping for a reset.
Chief executives from 18 major manufacturers sent a letter to President Donald Trump on Friday, urging him to revisit the Obama administration’s decision to require manufacturers’ lineups to average 54.5 mpg by model-year 2025, Reuters reports. While environmentalists say the rules are saving people money on fuel costs, automakers insist consumers’ current preferences for SUVs and trucks make the 2025 targets unrealistic, and complying with them eventually could cost thousands of jobs.
An agreement on the regulations originally was reached by former President Barack Obama and automakers in 2011. The plan was finalized in January, after undergoing a required “midterm review.” The EPA didn’t need to decide on whether to lock in the regulations until April 2018, but elected to do so before Obama’s final day in office.
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, however, began appealing to Trump to revisit the rules shortly after he was elected in November. And Friday’s letter, sent by executives from General Motors, Ford, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, as well as North American executives from Toyota, Volkswagen, Honda, Hyundai and Nissan, represents the latest plea from major automakers for Trump to revisit the midterm review.
The letter requests for Trump to reopen the review “without prejudging the outcome,” according to Reuters. It also reportedly praises Trump’s “personal focus on steps to strengthen the economy in the United States,” as well as his commitment to jobs in the auto industry.
Scott Pruitt, Trump’s EPA nominee, recently told a Senate Panel that he plans to review the decision made by the Obama administration. Pruitt has yet to be confirmed as head of the EPA.
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