The Trump administration’s recent decision to rescind Obama-era vehicle emission standards for cars and light trucks might be the right decision, even if it’s being done for all the wrong reasons.
President Trump has, with some gusto, made a point of undoing as much of what Obama did as possible, whether the topic is immigration, energy, welfare, national parks, cyber-warfare – you name it. To my mind, this is Trump’s object with the rollback of emissions standards. But what he ends up with is actually good policy for working Americans.
On its face, tighter emission standards seem like a no-brainer. They ensure that vehicles travel further on a tank of fuel, and they produce a cleaner, more sustainable planet. The problem, though, is that the devil is almost always in the details.
By forcing auto manufacturers to meet aggressive new standards of 54.5 miles per gallon by the year 2025, the federal government was threatening not only to damage an industry still recovering from the recession, but to harm consumers who depend on a marketplace filled with affordable options. This would have driven up the cost not only of new cars and trucks, but also of second-hand vehicles. Many middle-class Americans depend on the second-hand marketplace to secure transportation. Higher vehicle costs will disproportionately affect these working-class families that are the backbone of our economy.
Even if these families could absorb such costs, technology was also a major barrier to the standard Obama wanted to set. The technology associated with electric vehicles just hasn’t caught up with the demands of the marketplace. Companies like Tesla – that produce electric vehicles – have struggled with a combination of production and innovation issues. On top of that, Tesla’s most affordable model, the Tesla 3, has been plagued with problems from the beginning. Many other Tesla models cost more than six-figures – hardly an option for most Americans.
Another concern with electric vehicles is that China controls 90 percent of the marketplace for the rare minerals currently needed to build the high-powered batteries that increase the mileage of electric vehicles. This poses a unique national security risk for America. As a remind of how nearby danger is at all times, Trump’s reckless tariff policy could put China in the powerful position of being able to use access to the rare mineral markets as a bargaining chip in future negotiations. Think of the 1970s oil embargo, this time in a “clean energy” disguise.
If the federal government were to insist that automakers reach the 54.5 miles per gallon average for their vehicle fleet, this well-intentioned policy will have adverse effects. Americans who do not live in a house with a garage or a reserved parking space may not find it so easy to charge. Will local governments be forced to build the infrastructure to charge electric vehicles? What about Americans who do have garages, but cannot afford to replace their vehicle, or install the charging systems?
What would happen to the hundreds of thousands of gas stations and gas station employees? How would people with electric vehicles drive long distances — after all even the most advanced electric vehicles can only go around 500 miles between charges, and you can’t just “fill ‘er up” in seconds at the roadside, as charging an electric vehicle will take an hour, if not hours.
Are we supposed to believe that if Trump doesn’t change emission standards that all of these questions would just magically work themselves out?
Ultimately, I am hopeful that technology, innovation and our vast resources of clean-burning natural gas will help power America to become the most environmentally friendly nation on the earth. But we cannot achieve those goals faster than the technology will allow us. I hope that automakers continue their push to make more fuel efficient vehicles, and that the marketplace will reward them for it as more American drivers seek them out. But Trump’s decision to slow the pace mandated by government was a good decision, even if it was done for all the wrong reasons.
Michael Starr Hopkins is a Democratic strategist.
