Trump Endorses Dirty Air with Reduced Funding for EPA

The EPA has done wonders for keeping automakers in check and making sure they report fuel economy and emissions output accurately. In the past few years, the agency has cracked down on automakers like and for overstating fuel economy and investigated the largest automotive scandal in history when was found to be cheating on emissions testing. But, don’t expect automakers to be held accountable for much longer if Trump gets his way. See, a recent budget document shows that the Trump administration plans to cut $48 million of federal funding for the EPA – a move that deprives the agency of 99-percent of its funding for testing and has some convinced that it will all but shut down the EPA’s emissions and fuel economy testing labs.

All told, the move will cut 168 of the 304 full-time jobs in the EPA’s testing division and could lead to delays in new vehicle testing and sales as the agency tries to keep up with nearly half of its workforce missing. The Trump Administration has a plan to keep some funding rolling to the EPA testing divisions, however, by increasing the fees that automakers and engine manufacturers pay for testing. While that sounds like a suitable compromise to some, that will undoubtedly delay the availability of new cars and engine technology, and could ultimately increase new car pricing as automakers will have no choice but to recoup the additional money spent by passing the expense on to consumers.

Keep reading for the rest of the story

Trump Endorses Dirty Air with Reduced Funding for EPA

The EPA has done wonders for keeping automakers in check and making sure they report fuel economy and emissions output accurately. In the past few years, the agency has cracked down on automakers like and for overstating fuel economy and investigated the largest automotive scandal in history when was found to be cheating on emissions testing. But, don’t expect automakers to be held accountable for much longer if Trump gets his way. See, a recent budget document shows that the Trump administration plans to cut $48 million of federal funding for the EPA – a move that deprives the agency of 99-percent of its funding for testing and has some convinced that it will all but shut down the EPA’s emissions and fuel economy testing labs.

All told, the move will cut 168 of the 304 full-time jobs in the EPA’s testing division and could lead to delays in new vehicle testing and sales as the agency tries to keep up with nearly half of its workforce missing. The Trump Administration has a plan to keep some funding rolling to the EPA testing divisions, however, by increasing the fees that automakers and engine manufacturers pay for testing. While that sounds like a suitable compromise to some, that will undoubtedly delay the availability of new cars and engine technology, and could ultimately increase new car pricing as automakers will have no choice but to recoup the additional money spent by passing the expense on to consumers.

Keep reading for the rest of the story