Pasadena, CA – In response to the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator’s announcement today that the current 2025 federal light-duty vehicle standards need to be weakened, John Boesel, President and CEO of CALSTART – a national industry group with over 185 members, issued the following statement:

“Today’s announcement will create additional uncertainty and extend the process by which clear 2025 targets will be established. Our recent confidential survey shows that suppliers see the current fuel economy standards as good for jobs and good for investment. The suppliers not only back the current standards but are also very supportive of the three agencies working together to establish new ones for the 2026-2032 period.

While sending mixed signals, we hope the Administration does collaborate and work with the group of 14 states to establish a mutually acceptable target. This is clearly the goal of not only the vast majority of suppliers and some leading car companies.”

Major automotive suppliers see current federal fuel economy standards as a boon for company job growth and industry investment and don’t want to see them altered by policymakers, according to a recently completed semi-annual survey commissioned by CALSTART.  According to the survey conducted by Ricardo Energy and Environment, a global automotive engineering consulting firm:

• 84 percent of respondents agreed that the existing 2025 standards tend to encourage job growth at their companies. This is a 25 percent jump from a similar survey that Ricardo Energy & Environment performed for CALSTART in 2016.
• 95 percent of respondents agreed that more ambitious fuel economy standards tend to encourage more innovation and investment in the U.S.; 22.7 percent strongly agreed.
• 80 percent of respondents agreed that the current 2021-2025 standards should be maintained(68 percent) or strengthened (12 percent).
• 87.5 percent of the respondents advocated that it is important to start planning and setting standards now for beyond 2025. New technologies have long development lead times, so regulatory certainty is essential.
• 82 percent of the respondents either agreed (52 percent) or strongly agreed (30 percent) with the statement, “companies that are leaders in vehicle efficiency technology will be more successful over the next 10-15 years.”