Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC -- Last night, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a proposal to cancel an increase in civil penalties for automakers whose vehicles fail to meet fuel-economy standards required under the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) program. The Obama administration’s NHTSA increased CAFE civil penalties after Congress ordered all federal agencies to update their penalties for inflation. Last year, the Trump administration’s NHTSA issued an indefinite delay of this increased penalty, and the Sierra Club, NRDC, and Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit opposing this arbitrary delay and calling on NHTSA to enforce these penalties. Trump’s NHTSA now intends to decrease these penalties.
Today’s announcement comes just ahead of the EPA reportedly planning to call for the rolling back of the clean car standards.
In response, Sierra Club Senior Attorney Alejandra Núñez, released the following statement:
“Strong fuel economy standards mean cleaner air, a safer climate, and lower costs for consumers, and high civil penalties promote compliance with those standards. Cheap fines, which allow automakers to easily violate the standards, is yet another example of Donald Trump putting corporate polluters above the American people.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.