ICYMI: Inhofe Questions Witness at Commerce Hearing about NHTSA

Press Release

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Space and Technology, questioned Heidi King, Deputy Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, this afternoon in a Senate Commerce hearing to provide an update on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Key Excerpts

Inhofe: "Since 2008, EPA and DOT have taken an increasingly heavy hand in regulating the automotive industry through more stringent greenhouse gas (GHG) and Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards.

Hours before President Trump's inauguration, EPA issued a final determination effectively locking in its portion of the 2012 standards through 2025.

Obama's EPA acted unilaterally, instead of working together with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and others to reexamine the feasibility of the 2012 standards after five years in a "Mid-Term Evaluation" as agreed.

A little over a year ago, under President Trump, EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced their joint intention to reconsider the Obama Administration's determination and reopen the Mid-Term Evaluation process.

Is it true that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is currently conducting a mid-term evaluation to determine if the 2012 requirement to achieve an average fuel economy standard of 50 miles a gallon for light-duty vehicles (trucks, SUVs, mini-vans) by 2025--Do you agree that that is too aggressive?"

King: "That the mid-term evaluation is too aggressive? So, we are working on an analysis to propose a rule on or near April 1, that authorities that NHTSA operates under only allow us to issue fuel economy standards for periods of five years.

So, we have been for quite some time now, anticipating proposing the next five-year period and we intend to do so. We're working towards that now with expectation of publishing in April and we're working closely with our colleagues at EPA on the mid-term evaluation and to make sure that the federal family is aligned in the path forward."

Inhofe: "As you can appreciate, it is particularly important that all stakeholders are at the table and engaging in dialogue, to demonstrate that this Administration is working collaboratively on this evaluation--unlike with the past Administration.

Would you commit to me and this Committee that you will engage with all interested public and private stakeholders as you work on the Mid-Term Evaluation?"

King: "It is absolutely imperative on something so important to all of us in the United States that we be open to all stakeholder views. We have been hearing from stakeholders, we'll continue to do so.

We look forward to a very robust and transparent public comment process and we will, as has been NHTSA practice in the past, provide information supporting the rulemaking on our website so there's full transparency about any modeling or technical information to support a vigorous dialogue."

Inhofe: "Today, trucks and SUVs make up two-thirds of vehicles sold--yet these vehicles do not help automakers meet current DOT and EPA regulations of reaching 50 miles a gallon fuel economy by 2025.

As such, auto manufacturers are making more and more electric vehicles and other vehicles American consumers really don't want at steep losses to try to comply with these rules.

Meanwhile the average age of a vehicle on the road today is 11 years, and new cars are getting more and more expensive--discouraging consumers from buying new vehicles.

Now, Congress created the corporate average fuel economy in 1975 because we had a fuel shortage at that time.

We no longer have a fuel shortage, but that did not stop the Obama Administration from ensuring standards kept increasing beyond the technical feasibility of technology.

In the 1975 Law, Congress specifically required that the Administration take into account "economic practicability'.

Isn't one of the fastest ways to get cleaner and safer vehicles on the road to encourage manufacturers to make more affordable vehicles that consumers want to buy?

Will you commit to me that affordability will be a top priority for you as you finalize the Mid-Term Evaluation?"

King: "Of course NHTSA will consider and will propose based on all of the statutory factors, including economic practicability, that's right."

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