Administration To Continue New Round Of Fuel-Economy Talks Despite House Bill

Even as the House moves to block the EPA from regulating tailpipe emissions, the Obama administration is continuing talks on 2017-2025 fuel-economy and pollution standards with automakers, the state of California and environmental groups, an administration official said today.

David Strickland, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said today that the EPA, California and NHTSA all need to be involved in crafting the new standards, reported Automotive News.

Strickland said he and his boss, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, and President Obama "stand shoulder-to-shoulder on this."

Strickland told a Consumer Federation of America conference here: "We need to do this together. Regardless of what happens on the Hill, we're working very hard today to get these rules done by September."

The legislation "harms America's health by taking away our ability to decrease air pollution," White House spokesman Matt Lehrich said. "Instead of holding big polluters accountable, this amendment overrules public health experts and scientists.

"Finally, at a time when America's families are struggling with the cost of gasoline, the amendment would undercut fuel efficiency standards that will save Americans money at the pump while also decreasing our reliance on foreign oil."

Under a bill passed this week by the Republican-led House Energy and Commerce Committee, the EPA would lose authority to set greenhouse gas standards and California wouldn't be able to enforce its own pollution targets.

NHTSA would be left as the main governmental agency with authority to set fuel economy rules.

The full House is expected to vote on the bill in the next few weeks, and it is expected to pass.

Rep. Henry Waxman of California, the leading Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, has predicted the legislation will die in the Senate.

The Obama administration is considering fuel-efficiency standards of 47 mpg to 62 mpg for 2025. It plans to propose rules by September and adopt them by the summer of 2012.

Automakers have not taken a position on the House bill, reiterating only their long-held position that they want a national program of standards rather than a patchwork of state and federal targets.

In 2009, the administration adopted a national program with 2012-2016 standards, culminating in an average fuel-economy target of 35.5 mpg by 2016.