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One of the first official actions taken by President Joe Biden after his inauguration on January 20 marks the almost certain demise of a Trump-era plan to weaken future fuel efficiency regulations. Among Biden’s mandates to federal agencies was an “Executive Order on the Protection of Public Health and the Environment and the Restoration of Science to Overcome the Climate Crisis.”
This executive order tells federal agencies that environmental justice is a priority – one that will now be guided by scientific evidence. In addition, the heads of each agency should review any regulations, policies or other actions taken between January 20, 2017 and January 20, 2021 that are inconsistent with the objective. And there has been particular appeal to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the past few years to lower U.S. fuel efficiency standards over the next few years, as well as the agency’s effort to regulate California’s power to pollute air. castrate.
The previous administration’s attack on clean air and fuel efficiency began almost immediately and culminated in a number of actions over the past 16 months. In September 2019, the EPA announced that it was withdrawing a waiver that would allow California to set and enforce its own stricter air pollution standards within its borders. In March 2020, the EPA publishes a new rule on fuel efficiency for passenger vehicles and light trucks for the model years 2021-2026 that significantly weakens the efficiency targets of the Navy assigned by the Obama administration.
The EPA has until April 2021 a proposed rule to suspend, review or revoke the revocation of the air pollution exemption in California. And by July 2021, it should do the same for the widely criticized fuel efficiency rule, with instructions to take into account the views of ‘union, state and industry representatives’. While some companies such as GM and Toyota have sided with the Trump administration’s actions, other automakers have voluntarily adhered to California rules.