Trump administration moves to unwind Obama-era truck engine efficiency rules

Why it matters: The Trump administration said it is reshaping how future Class 8 trucks are engineered to meet federal fuel-efficiency requirements. The Trump administration is beginning the process of unwinding federal fuel-efficiency regulations for standalone truck engines and other components.

The White House said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration exceeded its legal authority under a regulatory framework expanded during the Obama administration in 2016, according to a news release. window. googletag = window. googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag. cmd. push(function() {googletag.

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push(function() {googletag. display('div-gpt-ad-1709668545404-0'); }); NHTSA announced Friday that it has adopted a new interpretation of federal law limiting the agency’s authority to regulating the fuel efficiency of complete medium- and heavy-duty vehicles — rather than separately regulating engines, transmissions, tires and other vehicle components.

The action does not eliminate federal fuel-efficiency requirements for commercial trucks. Instead, NHTSA says manufacturers should have greater freedom to determine how an entire vehicle meets federal efficiency requirements, including through improvements to engines, transmissions, aerodynamics, cab designs or tires.

“The Trump Administration is getting out of the way so manufacturers can decide how they want to meet fuel efficiency requirements,” NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison said in a statement. Morrison said aligning the program with the administration’s interpretation of federal law will lower commercial truck prices and benefit U. S. manufacturers.

NHTSA did not provide an estimate of how much the regulatory change could reduce the cost of new trucks. The interpretive rule takes aim at regulations developed under the Obama administration as part of a sweeping effort to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from commercial trucks.

Regulatory battle dates to Bush administration The origins of the federal program predate the Obama administration. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, signed into law by President George W. Bush, directed NHTSA to establish a fuel-efficiency improvement program for commercial medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. window. googletag = window.

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display('div-gpt-ad-1665767553440-0'); }); The Obama administration implemented that mandate beginning in 2011 and expanded it through the Phase 2 greenhouse gas and fuel-efficiency standards finalized jointly by NHTSA and the Environmental Protection Agency in 2016.

The Phase 2 regulations established standards for combination tractors, trailers, heavy-duty pickups and vans, vocational vehicles and certain engines powering tractors and vocational trucks. The standards were designed to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions through model year 2027.

At the time, federal regulators estimated the program would save truck owners approximately $170 billion in fuel costs over the life of the regulations. They also projected that buyers of new long-haul trucks in 2027 could recover the additional investment in fuel-saving technology in less than two years through lower fuel costs.

The rules were also intended to accelerate adoption of technologies ranging from more efficient engines and powertrains to aerodynamic equipment and lighter-weight components. When fully phased in, regulators projected tractors could achieve up to 25% lower fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions compared with equivalent 2018 tractors. window.

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pubads(). collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag. enableServices(); }); googletag. cmd. push(function() {googletag. display('div-gpt-ad-1709668086344-0'); }); Trump administration challenges NHTSA’s authority over engines The Trump administration actions on Friday are drawing a legal distinction between vehicles and their individual components.