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GM CEO Mary Barra Met With US Regulators To Discuss Fuel Efficiency Standards

The Obama administration’s 2025 fuel economy standards hang in the balance as U.S. regulators host prominent auto industry executives leading up to a final decision that could come as soon as April. The latest to meet with regulators? General Motors CEO Mary Barra.

Barra met with members of the Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency, GM confirmed with Reuters in a report on Tuesday.

According to GM, Barra specifically discussed the idea of “modernizing fuel economy standards,” and called for a national set of requirements. Right now, a dozen states follow California standards set by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The rules differ from national regulations. Automakers, states and the federal government hope to avoid a states’ rights legal issue with any proposed changes, but CARB already set the tone in its own statement.

“Absent any such evidence, we will certainly resist any changes,” CARB chair Mary Nichols said.

The Obama administration announced the 2025 standards in 2011, which calls for an average fleet-wide fuel efficiency of about 50 miles per gallon. Barra and other auto executives asked regulators to consider changes in the industry such as “new technology developments like increased shared and autonomous electric vehicles.”

Many analysts believe the Trump administration will announce the current standards are not appropriate as soon as April, but new fuel economy regulations may not come until the summer.

Former GM Authority staff writer.

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Comments

  1. I hope this happens! This country needs to incorporate this standard. It would be a major shot in the arm of the automotive industry! I would gladly pay the extra money for more performance and MPGS.

    Reply
  2. This happens everytime the CAFE standards are due to go up automakers cry foul . But 50 MPG’s by 2025 would be tough to do with Americans tastes for big SUV’s and trucks .
    President Obama was an enviromentalist and believed in Global warming due to humans use of fossil fuels . Trump on the other hand over turns anything Obama did and doesn’t believe humans are the cause of global warming .
    So , we can expect Trump to change the CAFE standards , as glaciers are melting at a pace never seen before , ocean levels are rising , storms are getting more severe than ever , the seasons are not what they used to be , aquatic life is dieing because the oceans are warming , air quality in some countries like China and India are so bad they need to wear masks because the pollution is so bad , the ozone layer is being depleted causing more people to get skin cancer and acid rain if left on your car will etch the paint .
    Don’t worry Mary , Trump will lower CAFE Regulations .

    Reply
  3. Future of these automobile (around these world) will be, only these rich will be able to buy and drive on these street, and these poor will be riding bike’s and taking these train’s were they need too go, that’s well on it’s way. So I hope trump doesn’t lower these CAFE Regulation, I hope he raise them and go on.

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  4. Don’t worry, no person’s will be driving, truck’s, car’s,/crossover’s, fleet vehicle’s are all going to be driving by themselves, along with these rich only (In these future/very soon). That will be first thing’s too come, more will.

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  5. The future is volatile. I expect a trump to roll back some to a reasonable level. But the automakers are not looking for small cuts as they know the next election could put them back in a bind again.

    They really intend on gaining more mpg but they just want a little more time to get there to better control cost. The controlling of cost will help lead to controlling of prices.

    To meet the numbers given will take a lot of investment. It will add much to the cost as it will be passed along.

    This bs needs to stop being a red blue thing and something that industry and government works together on for the good of all of us.

    The global warming people like to paint industry as evil. Some are but many of the Green industry people are also milking the system for profit not the public interest.

    These laws should be addressed by more than just politicians in private jets driven around in the back seats of black Suburbans.

    There three sides here Industry, Political and Us. Guess who of the three gets screwed the most because of the others games.

    Al Gore is one of the greatest lying hypocrites we have ever seen. He is no Ed Begly.

    Ed is a true green guy and while I do not agree I really respect him. He lives what he believes. Not so with Mr Gore.

    Reply
  6. The faster we can get to zero emissions the better. For anyone with children who disagree —

    — shame on you.

    Reply
    1. I have kids and expect to be driving my C10 383/700R4 for the next 30 to 40 years. And a combination of camaro/corvette until I die! I don’t care about the future my kids and your kids will figure that out when it’s their time! I only have a limited number of time left on this earth and I want to enjoy it!

      Reply
  7. Hmmmm. The “thing” I find interesting is >> “those that want to save this earth from carbon fuel, 99.9% of the time USE, EVERYDAY products made from coal and oil, and electric produced via coal and oil.” Unless a person is totally ‘off the grid’ that person is near similiar to the dude that drives a big, heavy, high fuel consuming vehicle. Plus, a big issue is everyone “”wants it now””, therefore our truck use is super high, thus American roads are full of 18 wheelers getting 4-8 MPG. The real problem is Americans want “comfort and convenience”, not CAFE standards that wreck their lives. We are a nation of whimps. GET TUFF AMERICA: walk, be cold, be hot, drive slower, do without, stop being # 1 on the block, get your groceries in a wooden box, and more, LOL, LOL, LOL. POINT IS, MUCH WE DO USES CARBON AT A REAL HIGH RATE, not just vehicles. …. I leaving this post to go drive my big heavy V-8 truck fast; just teasing. THANK YOU, .. gene

    Reply
  8. Hmmmm. The “thing” I find interesting is >> “those that want to save this earth from carbon fuel use 99.9% of the time USE, EVERYDAY products made from coal and oil, and electric produced via coal and oil.” Unless a person is totally ‘off the grid’ that person is near similiar to the dude that drives a big, heavy, high fuel consuming vehicle. Plus, a big issue is everyone “”wants it now””, therefore our truck use is super high, thus American roads are full of 18 wheelers getting 4-8 MPG. The real problem is Americans want “comfort and convenience”, not CAFE standards that wreck their lives. We are a nation of whimps. GET TUFF AMERICA: walk, be cold, be hot, drive slower, do without, stop being # 1 on the block, get your groceries in a wooden box, and more, LOL, LOL, LOL. POINT IS, MUCH WE DO USES CARBON AT A REAL HIGH RATE, not just vehicles. …. I leaving this post to go drive my big heavy V-8 truck fast; just teasing. THANK YOU, .. gene

    Reply
  9. I’m all for high CAFE standards even though they don’t reduce fuel consumption. People just drive more miles because vehicles get better MPG. I love the fact that the big beautiful 6.2-liter small block lightweight aluminum engine in my 2016 vehicle gets over 22 mpg on the highway. The engines of today are so clean, efficient and high performance compared to the past. I wish I had today’s engine tech when I had my 69 Camaro. My recollection back in the 70’s a bare aluminum racing block for a small block Chevy was $5000. These are the good old days.

    Reply

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