New Transportation Secretary Ignores Vehicle Pollution’s Role in Climate Change

Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has only been in his post for a day and is already making it clear that the agency will be ignoring the role vehicle pollution plays in worsening climate change. Duffy sent a memo to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calling for a review of fuel economy standards to align with President Donald Trump’s goals of promoting the use of oil, natural gas, and biofuels. The memo claims that "artificially high" fuel economy standards have made new cars prohibitively expensive for US buyers and could negatively impact the US auto industry.

A Swing of the Pendulum

It’s the latest swing of the pendulum as the country’s leadership changes hands once again. Trump’s first presidency saw a rollback of fuel efficiency standards that had been enacted by Barack Obama, followed by the EPA introducing its strictest standards to date when Joe Biden assumed office. President Donald Trump’s transition team had already signaled in December that he would walk back moves by previous administration to strengthen fuel efficiency standards and promote electric vehicle adoption.

Bad News for the Environment

Today’s development isn’t a surprise, but it’s still bad news considering multiple reports have demonstrated that the planet’s rising temperature will cause extreme and catastrophic weather events. The world is on a disastrous trajectory due to climate change, and the US auto industry’s shift towards oil, natural gas, and biofuels will only exacerbate the problem.

A Rollback of Progress

The rollback of fuel efficiency standards and the promotion of oil, natural gas, and biofuels will have severe consequences for the environment. The EPA’s strictest standards to date were introduced to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote sustainable transportation. The new memo from Duffy is a step backwards, and it’s clear that the Trump administration is more interested in serving the interests of the fossil fuel industry than in addressing the climate crisis.

A Threat to the Planet

The development is a threat to the planet and its inhabitants. The US auto industry’s shift towards oil, natural gas, and biofuels will only contribute to the rising temperature and the extreme weather events that are becoming more frequent and intense. The world needs to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote sustainable transportation, not roll back progress and ignore the role vehicle pollution plays in climate change.