New Federal Nod To State Auto Rules Aids Leverage For GHG Limits

The Biden administration’s reconsideration of Trump-era attacks on state vehicle programs could boost officials’ leverage to seek steep greenhouse gas cuts, though perhaps with less near-term effect on automakers that previously agreed with California on a compliance path roughly midway between current federal GHG standards and stronger Obama-era requirements, observers say. The looming reversal, articulated in both an April 22 proposal from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and a separate EPA comment request , comes as the Biden...