Replacement EPA Boss on Board With California Gas Confab

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

Following Andrew Wheeler’s appointment as acting head of the Environmental Protection Agency, he extended an invitation to the California Air Resources Board to discuss emission regulations — a matter which former EPA administrator Scott Pruitt seemed less inclined to discuss with the state.

Mary Nichols, chairman of the board, said Wheeler reached out to state officials and the pair agreed to hold a meeting in Washington. It’s a slight easing of tensions in the cold war between D.C. and Sacramento.

Initially, the EPA hoped to convince California to compromise so the current administration could progress with its deregulation strategy for the automotive industry. However, California has drawn a bold line when it comes to rolling back the corporate fuel economy mandates passed under President Obama. Pruitt claimed the existing targets were unreasonably high after the Trump administration requested a revaluation of the standards.

Since then, the Golden State and its Air Resources Board have retaliated by filing a lawsuit claiming the EPA’s decision to roll back fuel economy targets was irresponsible. In the aftermath, Nichols noted that the agency seemed less inclined to make time for meetings with her organization. It even cancelled discussions the President said had to take place — as Pruitt was busy saying the state should forget about being able to make demands the rest of the country has to adhere to.

The White House is currently reviewing proposals from the EPA and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that will roll back the rigorous fuel economy and emissions standards set for the coming years. Those documents are also said to include ways to circumvent California’s authority to set vehicle efficiency rules, which are tougher than the federal government’s.

While Wheeler is expected to be less overtly prickly than Pruitt, few expect him to deviate from the initial plan. Most feel he’ll stay the course while taking a more pragmatic approach. At the very least, he seems willing to speak with California.

“I am not at the moment expecting any changes in direction or changes in policy,” Nichols said. “But I hear from others who know him he is a practical person who likes to move forward and is willing to make compromises, so I am hopeful that we’ll find some things to work on together.”

[Source: Bloomberg]

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • Oberkanone Oberkanone on Jul 17, 2018

    One Nation, One CAFE, One Emissions. Do not give into CARB.

    • Hpycamper Hpycamper on Jul 18, 2018

      This exactly wrong. Why do we need to make every thing one size fits all? Just because it simplifies things for auto makers? Especially when it means going to a lower standard.

  • Pwrwrench Pwrwrench on Jul 18, 2018

    This can be solved with no Constitutional problems. Just put a sign in bakeries and Sacto: "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone" That's the practice anyway, why not be honest and open about it?

    • See 1 previous
    • Art Vandelay Art Vandelay on Jul 18, 2018

      Interestingly the unintended consequence of all that, since It has been pointed out that Political Affiliation is not a protected class under civil rights law, would be for such bakers to simply proclaim they reserve the right to not bake cakes for Democrats, since the reverse has been deemed acceptable. And you dont have to refuse service to all democrats either as I am sure that I can find some Republicans that have in fact consumed a meal at the Red Hen. Unintended Consequences are always a MoFo

  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
  • Jalop1991 what, no Turbo trim?
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