EPA Attempting to Finalize Obama’s Fuel Economy Targets for 2025

The Environmental Protection Agency is currently taking steps to solidify stringent fuel economy standards proposed by President Obama in time before the Trump administration takes control of the White House next month.

The rules would require automakers to achieve an average of over 50 mpg by 2025. The Obama administration originally proposed the higher standard back in 2011 as an effort to cut back on greenhouse gas pollution and help save drivers $1.7 trillion in fuel costs (over the vehicles’ lifetime).

According to Reuters, the EPA is in the middle of evaluating the standard and is required to make a decision by April 2018. However, the EPA claims it has completed the necessary analysis needed to make a decision before then, possibly by early next month. The EPA is accepting public comment on the rules until December 30 and can make its decision thereafter.

President Obama’s initial proposal set the target at 54.5 miles per gallon, which comes out to 40 mpg in real-world conditions, The Wall Street Journal reports. A number of automakers, however, say the target is unreasonable due to low gas prices and demand for SUVs and trucks that continue to surpass fuel efficient small cars and alternative powertrains such as hybrids and electric cars. Earlier this year, those sales trends prompted the EPA to suggest and predict a more realistic target between 50 to 52.6 mpg by 2025.

But EPA officials on Wednesday said the agency’s most updated analysis concluded the original mileage estimate of 54.5 mpg is not only attainable, but could be raised further. The EPA, however, said it will keep the target as is.

Environmentalists are praising the move, but that’s not the case with a number of automakers. “This extraordinary and premature rush to judgment circumvents the serious analysis necessary to make sure the… standards appropriately balance fuel efficiency, carbon reduction, affordability and employment,” the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers said in a statement. The alliance represents a dozen automakers including BMW, Ford, Toyota, and General Motors. Following the election, the Alliance sent a memo to the Trump transition team urging the president-elect to roll back the fuel economy targets.

Source: Reuters, The Wall Street Journal

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