Former Transportation Chief Questions Trump Decision On Emissions

April 05--The decision to restart the review process of automotive emissions standards by the Trump administration is a possible "setback" for efforts to curtail climate change, Anthony Foxx, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, said Wednesday.

Foxx, who served as transportation secretary in 2013-17, played a key role in positioning the federal government as a stricter regulator of the automotive industry.

"I have to say that the backing away from some of the fuel efficiency standards is a setback. It's a setback because we obviously have significant climate change issues around the world," Foxx said when he spoke in Detroit at an automotive engineering convention called World Congress Experience. "Fuel efficiency standards were an opportunity for us to make some strides there."

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Foxx was reacting to President Donald Trump's decision to order the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to reinstate a "midterm evaluation" of those standards for the auto industry.

Trump's order reversed a decision made under the Obama administration in January to affirm standards that were adopted in 2012 that will usher in tougher standards from 2021-25.

"It was necessary because the standards were set far into the future," Trump said in ordering the review during a visit to Michigan. "If the standards threaten auto jobs, then commonsense changes could have -- and should have -- been made."

While Trump's decision does not automatically mean the standards will be significantly rolled back, his actions are widely viewed as a desire to do just that.

The automotive industry complained last year when the EPA decided to leave the standards unchanged. The industry argues the existing standards will be difficult to meet because technology hasn't advanced as fast as expected and consumers are less interested in buying electric cars than expected.

Critics said the EPA sped up its review process, which was originally scheduled for completion by 2018, for political purposes.

Foxx argued Wednesday that the threats posed by climate change are real and said the emission standards adopted by the EPA were attainable.

Foxx, as transportation secretary, oversaw the NHTSA, which regulates fuel economy standards.

"So much has gone into reducing the carbon footprint of our automobiles -- it's about a third of the overall greenhouse gas output from human beings in the U.S., and that's a big deal," Foxx said. "And if we endeavor to improve the climate and our global environment, then mobile sources are going to have to be part of that equation."

Foxx, who was speaking publicly for one of the first times since his tenure ended as part of the Obama administration, said he is still trying to figure out what he wants to do next. A lawyer and former mayor of Charleston, Foxx could have a bright future in politics.

After a wide-ranging discussion about automotive safety, recalls, regulation and autonomous vehicles, Foxx said is exploring some venture capital activities.

But then he added, "I want to keep my voice on this stuff, because I think it is important for the country and for the world to get it right."

Contact Brent Snavely: 313-222-6512 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrentSnavely.

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