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Articles on CAFE standards

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Retractable bollards can be used to signal priority areas on streets for smaller vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. Eugene Nekrasov/Getty images Plus

Ever-larger cars and trucks are causing a safety crisis on US streets – here’s how communities can fight back

Cars are getting bigger on US roads, and that’s increasing pedestrian and cyclist deaths. A transport scholar identifies community-level strategies for making streets safer.
California and the Trump administration are going different directions on mileage standards. AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

Trump administration and California are on collision course over vehicle emissions rules

Law scholars from California unpack the legal questions raised by the Trump administration’s plan to roll back mileage standards and revoke California’s ability to set more stringent rules.
Protesters at a rally on the state of the EPA organized by the American Federation of Government Employees union, April 25, 2018, in Washington, D.C. AP Photo/Alex Brandon

EPA staff say the Trump administration is changing their mission from protecting human health and the environment to protecting industry

Government agencies are supposed to listen to the industries they regulate, but what if they tune out everyone else? Scholars call this regulatory capture, and some staffers see it happening at EPA.
Customers line up to buy gasoline in San Jose, California, on March 15, 1974, during an Arab oil embargo. The crisis spurred enactment of the first U.S. vehicle fuel economy standards. AP

Government fuel economy standards for cars and trucks have worked

Since the federal government started setting fuel economy standards, US-built cars have doubled their fuel efficiency, saving money for consumers and reducing pollution.
Staffers listen to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt discuss this policy reversal. AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

Stronger fuel standards make sense, even when gas prices are low

Manufacturers always have to make trade-offs when they design new cars, balancing the need to protect public health and the environment with their urge to wow customers.
Fuel economy and air pollution regulations have lowered pollution and pushed industry to innovate. Mike Roberts

Why EPA’s U-turn on auto efficiency rules gives China the upper hand

The Trump administration announced a plan to relax fuel economy standards, but well-designed regulations can drive clean car innovations that make U.S. industry globally competitive.
Everyone looks for price, but there are smarter ways to communicate fuel efficiency on car labels. Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock.com

Can we design a better fuel economy label?

It’s all in the presentation: In studies, consumers were more apt to choose fuel-efficient vehicles depending on how the same pieces of information were displayed on labels.
The current EPA administrator says the agency should prioritize clean air and clean water, rather than deal with greenhouse gases. billy_wilson/flickr

Now under attack, EPA’s work on climate change has been going on for decades

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has said the agency’s purview should not include climate change, but a look at its history under both Republican and Democratic presidents says otherwise.
In 2015, gas prices fell below $2 per gallon in Moscow Mills, Missouri. The trend of low gas prices across the United States delay a signature Obama proposal to reduce emissions from cars and trucks. Whitney Curtis/Reuters

Cheap gas could delay America’s efficiency targets for cars and trucks

Faced with stringent fuel economy standards but cheap gas, automakers may seek to delay CAFE rules. What’s the best way to reevaluate these emissions-cutting rules?
Americans like big vehicles – a serious challenge to reducing emissions. chrisgold/flickr

Will cheap gas at the pump stall progress on car emissions?

American consumers just aren’t prioritizing fuel efficiency in a time of low gasoline prices. Is there a way to reverse the trend and make progress on climate change?
While the higher gas mileage may lead people to drive a green car more often, its other attributes may be less appealing. Green car via www.shutterstock.com

Do greener cars lead consumers to hit the road more often?

Some worry that efforts to reduce energy consumption by increasing fuel efficiency cause a so-called rebound effect that eats into the expected savings. We tested the theory.

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