Trump Rolls Back Fuel Efficiency Standards

TODAY AS EXPECTED DONALD TRUMP HAS
ANNOUNCED HE IS GOING TO DIRECT THE EPA TO REVISE OBAMA ERA
RISING FUEL EFFICIENCY STANDARDS FROM CONTINUING ON IN THE
FUTURE.
THIS COULD COME IN THE FORM OF LOWERING THE RATE
INCREASE OR SCRAPPING STANDARDS
ALTOGETHER.
IT WOULD REQUIRE THAT THEY WOULD GET SOMETHING
LIKE 37 TO 40 MILES PER GALLON
BY 2025.
THAT IS BASICALLY DOUBLE WHAT WE HAD NOT TOO LONG
AGO.
TRUMP DOES NOT FAVOR THEM, MANY IN THE AMERICAN AUTO
INDUSTRY DON'T WANT THESE
STANDARDS.
ALSO IT RAISES THE AVERAGE COST OF CARS IN THE US.
THEY MAKE THE CASE THAT IT MAKES
THEM LESS COMPETITIVE ABROAD.
BUT WE ALREADY KNOW THAT IN SOME
CASES YOU CANNOT SELL US AUTOMOBILES BECAUSE THEY DON'T
MATCH THE COUNTRIES FUEL
EFFICIENCY STANDARDS.
AFTER TRUMP ANNOUNCED THIS EARLY
TODAY, THE AUTO LOBBYISTS WERE
HAPPY ABOUT IT.
SO THEY HAVE GONE THEIR DAY, AND THEY ARE
HAPPY.
I DOUBT THEY WILL BECOME MORE STRINGENT.
>> TO FACTS I THOUGHT THAT WERE NOTEWORTHY.
FROM ABOUT 21 TO 25,
SINCE 07.
THAT IS PRETTY GOOD.
AS BUSH WOULD SAY WE ARE MAKING
PROGRESS.
THAT IS BECAUSE THE
GOVERNMENT MANDATED IT.
THEY SAID YOUR CAR WOULD COST SO MUCH
MORE, HAS IT?
NO.
THIS ALSO APPLIES TO JAPANESE AND GERMAN
CARS THAT ARE SOLD HERE.
IS THE
SAME STANDARDS FOR EVERYBODY.
EVEN IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN
CLIMATE CHANGE, IT HELPS IN 1000 DIFFERENT WAYS.
>>YOU SPEND LESS MONEY ON FUEL.
IT IS PRAGMATIC FOR THE CONSUMER.
>>TO BE FAIR THE STANDARDS IN THIS CASE WOULD ADD $875 ON
AVERAGE TO THE STICKER PRICE OF NEW MODELS BY THE TIME IT'S
2025.
IT IS A WHILE AWAY, BUT THAT APPLIES EVENLY TO ALL THE
CARMAKERS.
NOW YOU ARE THINKING I KNEW IT, TRUMP WAS RIGHT.
BUT
CONSUMERS WOULD SAVE ROUGHLY 3 TIMES THAT IN FUEL
COSTS OVER THE LIFETIME OF THE
VEHICLE.
YOU MIGHT HAVE SOME CASH FLOW ISSUES IN TERMS OF
AFFORDING A CAR, BUT OVERALL IF
YOU GET THE CAR YOU WILL SAVE A LOT OF MONEY.
THAT IS OVER $1700
PER CAR THAT YOU WOULD SAVE BECAUSE OF THESE STANDARDS.
THAT
SOUNDS GOOD, RIGHT?
>> THE THING IS THAT IT COMES WITH THE ASSUMPTION THAT
EVERYONE HAS TO BUY A NEW 2025
CARD.
JUST CHECK HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE BRAND-NEW 2017 CARS ON THE
STREET.
A LOT, BUT NOT EVERYBODY.
BECAUSE THEY DON'T
HAVE TO, AND THEY CAN'T. GO TO CRAIGSLIST AND BUY A BEATER,
THAT'S FINE.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE MUCH MONEY YOU CAN'T DO IT.
IT
APPEARS TO THE SHORTSIGHTEDNESS OF OUR SOCIETY NOW.
>> YOU DON'T HAVE TO RUSH OUT AND BUY A 2025 CAR THAT YEAR,
BUT I WOULD BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO SAVE YOU THREE TIMES AS MUCH.
THE QUICKER YOU BUY IT, THE MORE MONEY YOU ARE GOING TO SAVE IN
THE LONG RUN.
>> THE AUTO LOBBY DOESN'T LIKE IT AND THINKS IT IS GOING TO
MAKE IT MORE EXPENSIVE.
IT IS
ALSO UNSURPRISING THEY COME OUT AGAINST THIS.
THEY WERE AGAINST
THE BOATS WHEN THEY WERE FIRST PUT IN THERE.
THEY WERE AGAINST
AIRBAGS.
PEOPLE WANT TO PASS A BILL MANDATING REARVIEW CAMERAS
TO STOP KIDS FROM GETTING RUN
OVER, THEY SAY NO THAT RAISES THE COST OF CARS TOO MUCH.
THIS
IS THE CLASSIC BATTLE BETWEEN INDUSTRY AND CONSUMER
PROTECTION.
IN THIS CASE IT LITERALLY SAVES LIVES IN THE
LARGER SENSE IT COULD SAVE OUR ENVIRONMENT.
EVEN THE STANDARDS
WE HAVE RIGHT NOW THERE ARE A LOT OF CRITIQUES OF THOSE.
THIS
ISN'T A PERFECT SOLUTION BECAUSE
MANY OF THOSE CARS WILL BE AROUND FOR DECADES INTO THE
FUTURE.
THERE ARE NUMBER OF THINGS THAT ALLOW YOU TO
ARTIFICIALLY REDUCE- INCREASE THE FLEET OF MILES PER GALLON
YOU HAVE.
EVEN THAT IS NOT ENOUGH FOR THE AUTO LOBBY.
SO
ALL OF THESE THINGS THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH HOW MUCH FUEL
YOUR CAR TAKES TO GO A MILE ARE GOING TO BE USED.
AND THEY WANT
EVEN MORE TO BE ADDED INTO THE EQUATION IN TERMS OF HOW
SUPPOSEDLY FUEL-EFFICIENT CAR IS.
>>I THINK THE POLITICAL CALCULATION IS INTERESTING.
OBVIOUSLY TRUMP NOW USE MICHIGAN INTEGRAL TO HIS GENERAL
POLITICAL STRATEGY.
HE WON MICHIGAN BY A VERY NARROW
MARGIN.
HE CLAIMS THE IDEA THAT HE DID SO IS BECAUSE HE HAD
UNORTHODOX VIEWS ON TRADE POLICY.
I THINK WHAT HE IS
TRYING TO DO IS PUT HIMSELF OUT AS THE CHAMPION OF INDUSTRY.
IT
IS SORT OF IRONIC BECAUSE OBAMA HELPED TO BAIL OUT THE AUTO
INDUSTRY YET HE DIDN'T GET THAT POPULAR OF A CONCEPTION.
TRUMP
IS NOW SEIZING THAT MANTLE.
I THINK IT'S BECAUSE IN THE LONG
TERM HE SEES THIS AS INTEGRAL TO
HIS POLITICAL SUSTENANCE.
WHY IS TRUMP ABLE TO MAKE THESE
MODIFICATIONS IN THE FIRST PLACE?
OBAMA COULDN'T GET THESE
REGULATIONS PASSED LEGISLATIVELY.
HE HAD TO DO IT
THROUGH EXECUTIVE ORDER WHICH IS ALWAYS SUSCEPTIBLE TO LATER
AMENDMENTS.
SURE ENOUGH IF YOU GET A REPUBLICAN PREDECESSOR,
HIS INCENTIVE WILL BE TO LESSEN
THESE REGULATIONS.
I THINK THIS SHOWS THE FAULTINESS OF RELYING
HEAVILY ON EXECUTIVE ORDER.
IT'S GOOD FOR THE SHORT-TERM, BUT
LONG-TERM IT IS NOT SUSTAINABLE.
>> EVEN ON ISSUES LIKE TORTURE .THIS APPLIES.
>>YOU LEAVE IT UP TO THE DISCRETION OF THE EXECUTIVE
RATHER THAN ENTRENCHING IT IN LAW.
>> LASTLY, IT IS A VERY REPUBLICAN IDEA BECAUSE THIS
WINDS UP APPEASING THE CAR COMPANIES, GOOD.
BUT ALSO THE
OIL COMPANIES BECAUSE NOW YOU HAVE TO BUY MORE OIL.
WE TOLD
YOU IT WOULD ACTUALLY SAVE YOU
THREE TIMES AS MUCH MONEY.
SO IN A SENSE IT IS TAXES FROM YOU, A
REGRESSIVE FORM THAT GOES TO THE
OIL COMPANIES AND ALLOWS THE CAR COMPANIES TO THEORETICALLY SELL
MORE CARS.
BUT OIL COMPANIES
GAIN EVEN MORE THAN THE CAR COMPANIES DO.
THAT IS $1700 ñ IT
SOME MORE, $2500 IN GAS YOU SAVE.
YOU'RE PAYING 875 MORE FOR
THE CAR.
CORPORATIONS AS USUAL THINK YES.
BUT THAT MONEY CAME
FROM SOMEWHERE, FROM YOU.
TO JOHN'S POINT, SEATBELTS, THE
MOST ñ YOU CAN'T TAKE THIS AWAY FROM RALPH NADER, HE BEAT
RICHARD NIXON ON SO MANY ISSUES.
ON THE CASE OF THE SEATBELTS HE
SAVED MILLIONS OF LIVES.
THAT IS A HELL OF A THING FOR SOMEONE TO DO.
>> AND A LOT OF OTHER ACTIVISTS AS WELL.
>>BUT HE SPEARHEADED THAT MOVEMENT.
>>I'M AMAZED AT HOW MANY PEOPLE STILL COMPLAIN TO ME ABOUT RALPH
NADER.
THEY CAN'T GET OVER IT.
IT IS SO INGRAINED IN THEIR
PSYCHE.
>>I'M NOT SURPRISED BY THAT.
LIKE JIMMY CARTER THERE IS A LOT
THAT RALPH NADER DOES NOT GET
CREDIT FOR.
JIMMY CARTER DID PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
EGYPT
AND ISRAEL WERE THE TWO BIGGEST
ENEMIES.
LET ALONE THE DISEASES HE WIPED FROM
THE EARTH.
FOR
RALPH NADER, THINK ABOUT IT MAN,
MILLIONS OF LIVES.
PEOPLE LIVED BECAUSE
THEY PUT SEATBELTS AND
CARS.
AT THE TIME CAR COMPANIES
SAID NO WAY, IT'S GOING TO COST MORE TO PUT SEATBELTS IN CARS.
WHO WAS RIGHT AND WHO WAS WRONG?
IT TURNS OUT SOMETIMES REGULATIONS ARE NOT SUCH A BAD
THING.

Trump Rolls Back Fuel Efficiency Standards

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