Guest Post by Eric Peters
Donald Trump isn’t a Libertarian – but he is the guy who just rescinded the fatwa imposed by his extremely un-Libertarian predecessor that would have almost tripled the fines imposed on car companies that didn’t “achieve compliance” with federal fuel economy mandatory minimums.
This is no small thing – because of the other fatwa, still in place. The one which decrees a near-doubling of the average mileage new cars will be required to achieve over the course of the next six years.
Orange Man is working on that one.
Regardless, he just saved you a lot of money – and may just have saved the car industry, too.
At least, for the moment.
The fines rescinded were the billy stick used to enforce federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regs. These regs stipulate an arbitrary “fleet average” mileage number every car company’s model lineup must meet.
This arbitrarily decreed number – arbitrary because it’s just “decided” upon by federal bureaucrats, at their whim, based upon what they – in their infinite wisdom – consider to be “achievable,” no matter what it costs – has been steadily rising since the late ‘70s, from around 22 miles-per-gallon to the current 30-something miles-per-gallon.
Over the past 30-something years, cars have become more “efficient” as a result of this gradual ratcheting-up of CAFE requirements. They have also become progressively more expensive with each ratcheting up – since it takes technology to “achieve compliance” while also maintaining the attributes car buyers expect, such as the physical size of the vehicle as well as its power/performance/capability.
It is hard to get a car to average 30-something MPG while also being not small and able to get to 60 MPH in less than 8 seconds (most buyers won’t buy a car that can’t do this).
Or carry a family – as opposed to a single driver and perhaps one passenger. And have the power to pull a trailer.
Etc.
People do value gas mileage. Just not gas mileage uber alles – as the un-Libertarians in government insists they do.
If they did value it uber alles, the car companies would not need to be forced – by punishing fines – to build such cars. They would respond to . . . the market for such cars.
The problem – from the point-of-view of the un-Libertarians in government – is that there is a market for other cars. Which the government is trying to stifle, via fines that punish the market for daring to express preferences which differ from the demands of the un-Libertarians in government.
The fines are currently set at $5.50 for every 0.1 MPG below the current arbitrarily-decreed “fleet average” of 30-something MPG.
They were about to almost tripled to $14 for the same “crime” – i.e., manufacturing cars that met the requirements of car buyers rather than “achieved compliance” with government gas mileage fatwas.
This is as un-Libertarian as it gets.
It’s also the billy stick that would have given the other fatwa – the near-doubling of the arbitrarily decreed mandatory minimum “fleet average” from 30-something to 50-something MPG that Orange Man is still trying to rescind – skull-crushing power.
To understand why one must first know that there are only two cars on the market that “achieve compliance” with the doubled-down 50-something MPG fatwa. They are compact-sized hybrids like the Toyota Prius Prime and Hyundai Ioniq – both of which just barely “achieve compliance” (they average 54 MPG).
Put another way: Every single non-hybrid car – and all trucks, SUVs and crossovers – currently on the market does not “achieve compliance” with the doubled-down fatwa hurled by the Orange Man’s extremely un-Libertarian predecessor.
Had OM not rescinded the near-tripling of fines to be imposed for failure to “achieve compliance” with the doubled-down MPG fatwa, it would have meant either a massive increase in the cost to buy every non-compliant model still around a couple of years from now amounting to at least several hundred dollars per vehicle and as much as several thousand dollars per vehicle – in the case of vehicles like trucks and SUVs which cannot “achieve compliance” with a 50-something MPG mandatory minimum unless the laws of thermodynamics can be rescinded . . .
Or the wholesale cancellation of every single non-hybrid car currently on the market – because with hundreds or thousands of dollars in fines added to their sticker price, they would simply be too expensive for most people to afford.
Which is exactly what was intended by the first fatwa.
The un-Libertarians in Washington cannot stand it that the hoi polloi – that’s you and I – decline to buy tiny, underpowered cars like the Prius and its ilk and instead choose to buy larger, stronger vehicles that suit our preferences.
It is not enough for these un-Libertarians that “efficient” cars like the Prius and other small, underpowered hybrids are available – for those who prefer them.
They insist we prefer them, too. And if we don’t we are to be persuaded – via punishment applied to the car makers, who in turn punish us with higher cost and fewer choices.
But the Orange Man has just thrown a sabot in their machinery – and that was a very Libertarian thing. He has taken away the billy stick which would have given the other fatwa its skull-crushing power.
Even if he doesn’t succeed in rescinding the 50-something MPG fatwa, he has already managed to emasculate it.
The un-Libertarians can decree that new cars must average 50-something MPG. But without the tripling of fines for those that don’t “achieve compliance,” it will still be feasible for the car industry to continue building such cars.
Which means they will still be available for us to buy – at prices we can still afford.
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The next one may matter most of all.
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Erections matter. Elections,selections matter not.
Focus, Jack!
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there were no Federal Government regulations on cars, such as all of those built before 1965?. Can you imagine the variety of beautiful cars and trucks that would be produced and sold to an appreciative public, who would get to buy what they really want?
I too long for cars with steel dash boards covered in flocking. Cars with solid steering columns. Cars without seat belts. Cars without catalytic converters. Like the 1956 F100 I drove in the early 70’s
I can’t understand why anyone would down vote you. Maybe it’s over the lack of “safety” mandates. I remember the time when my uncle had all kinds of trucks like what you had. He didn’t have safety problems on a 1964 Ford after he took the factory bumpers off and installed new ones he fabricated from steel I-beams. He later got hit by a woman in one of those early 1970’s road-boat Lincoln Town Cars. That car had its whole front clip shoved up to the windshield!
Those were the days! And they would be made in AMERICA!!
If congress wants people to use less gasoline they should raise the gas tax. I like high gas taxes because illegals pay them too. We should also tax the shit out of tortillas.
How about we just enforce immigration laws, deport the illegals and LOWER gas TAXES?!
And I like tortillas!
Funny how the car companies cry about OM looking to rescind the 54 mpg fatwa, all due to the fucktards in CA legislature forcing their own CAFE standards. Their incorrect contention is that to make cars with different MPG standards is too expensive. Bullshit, says I. The car companies can make any vehicle to any standard, and have the dealers in CA add the BS power-robbing/CAFE meeting components prior to sale. Cars bought elsewhere would have to be changed in the same manner by the owner. Let the commies in CA (OR, WA, &c.) force their constituents to bow to their will, not the rest of us. Fuckin’ boners.
Agreed. We should stop following CA standards for anything – especially emissions. If they dont like US cars and HIGHER emissions and performance, though turkey! Make them buy OUR type of cars.
Maybe the libtard state of fruits and nuts would vote consevative for a change,,
If one of the candidates is not a standard issue political hack, then the election may make a difference.
If it’s a choice between generic DUM and generic DEE, not so much.
The difference makers usually have to slip in as stealth candidates.
Kind of funny how the political insiders pick out their choices as candidates, without remembering how the last batch resulted in big yawns.
It’s like they keep trying the same thing, and are expecting a different result this time.
Peters:
Keep up the good fight!! Don’t know if you read the replies… Three questions – maybe for another article.
1) How could Barry just have the EPA jack up the CAFE goals – but orange man cannot reduce it asap – its been three years???
2) Big 3 are buying carbon credits to offset missing CAFE goals, I’ve read this on credible sites, I never thought we got that far! Is this true?
3) If OM does not rescind the CAFE goals soon, automakers will not be able to get off that path very quickly. It usually takes 3-5 years to make major model / engineering changes.