July 30, 2020 12:14 PM EDT
On Monday, EPA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) announced an investigation into the so-called “SAFE” rule, which rolled back Obama-era global warming emissions and fuel economy standards and will cost both consumers and the environment. This investigation is just the latest example of the many ways in which the administration’s attempts to cut corners and ignore science are being challenged.
May 13, 2020 10:03 AM EDT
While the administration just finalized its reduction in vehicle efficiency from 5 percent per year to no better than a measly 1.5 percent per year (despite their own evidence showing how bad it is for the country), that hasn’t stopped the auto industry from seeking even further reductions. In a new proposed change to how passenger cars and trucks are tested, the Trump administration is trying to give automakers a carve-out that would further increase global warming emissions from new cars by 1.6 percent.
Admittedly, this change is a little wonky so let me lay it out as best as I can. But the bottom line is that automakers are seeking even further, permanent reductions in the stringency of global warming emissions standards, right on the heels of a massive rollback of emissions standards.
April 6, 2020 3:14 PM EDT
Earlier this week, the administration rolled back fuel economy and emissions standards. It was such a bad idea that even their own analysis showed that it would cause $10-20 billion in net harm to the American people. So you might be asking yourself…why did they do it? Let’s see what they said. Read more >
March 31, 2020 2:34 PM EDT
Even with the economy at the brink of a recession, the Trump administration just finalized a rule to undo requirements on manufacturers to improve fuel economy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from new passenger cars and trucks. The net benefits of the rule are actually negative, resulting in $10-20 BILLION in net monetized harm to the country, which is actually a worse outcome than most of alternatives the agencies considered! Read more >
January 2, 2020 5:50 PM EDT
Eighteen months ago, I wrote a blog called the ABC’s of Sidelining Science by the Trump Administration because there were so many examples of this administration’s disregard for scientific process and evidence that I could readily/easily fill out the alphabet. I thought of updating my alphabet-of-wrongdoing at the end of 2019, but then thought it would be more helpful/interesting/etc. to instead utilize a great resource that Merriam-Webster, the dictionary people, put online called “Trending Words in the News.” While these are cool words that appear in news stories, my intent is to use them in descriptions of recent science-related actions by the Administration. Read more >
