Auto emissions standards

In 2012, the EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration adopted rules requiring cars and light trucks to average 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. (Passenger cars reached about 36 mpg in 2014, and light trucks about 26, according to the Bureau of Transportation.) It was an aggressive target, but the industry agreed it was achievable. Until, of course, the new administration came out and said it opposed the new standards. Then, automakers did an about face and called the standards unreasonable.

But not everyone in the industry agrees. Yesterday, five groups representing auto suppliers urged the country to stay the course. The suppliers said that it was “in the nation’s best interest” that the United States continue to develop and manufacture “the cleanest and most efficient vehicles in the world.”

Today, I signed a letter to Ford Motor Company and its Chairman, Bill Ford, urging them to continue to pursue compliance with the 2012 emissions standards.