Unless you've been under a rock for the past few months, you'll know that there
have been some pretty big changes going on in Washington, D.C. as the U.S.
Government under President Donald Trump reshapes some of the policies and priorities of many
Federal agencies, slashing budgets here and gagging agencies there, drawing praise from
some and harsh criticism from others.
So far, those changes (some enacted, some proposed) have impacted everything from foreign
policy to immigration rules, government agency websites, filling open positions in a variety
of government agencies, and spending on social care programs.
But this week, a new consequence of the Trump administration appeared:: a proposed budget
cut to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which would slash ninety-nine percent of the
EPA's current budget for testing and verifying vehicle emissions and fuel economy.
What does that mean for the automotive industry, air quality, and the future of cleaner vehicles?
Stick around to find out.
Hi there!
It's Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield here from Transport Evolved and yes, today, I'm focusing on
politics.
But as I've said in the past, there's only so much it's possible to do in life
without butting up against some form of politics...which is why I made the choice to make this video
in the first place.
But before you turn off in frustration, know that my intent here is to try and be as fair
as possible to both sides of this.
Affording to official U.S. government budget documents (which originate from the March
21 budget proposal penned by the White House) the U.S. EPA will have to lay off twenty-five
percent of all of its staff and scrap some fifty-six programs in order to meet the proposed
thirty-one percent budget cut the White House wishes the agency to undergo.
As part of that, everything from the Great Lakes Restoration program to Leaking Underground
Storage Tank Prevention programs will be cut, with some disappearing all together and others
become a shadow of their former selves.
One such cut?
The EPA's vehicle emissions and fuel economy testing programs, which are designed to not
only ensure that automakers are in compliance with air quality standards, but to confirm
automaker-submitted fuel economy figures.
In total, the proposal represents slashing forty-eight million in funding from the vehicle
testing budget, equivalent to ninety-nine percent of its operating budget.
And that's got both environmental protection advocates and automakers concerned.
Yes, automakers.
You heard me right.
While the EPA and its testing have caused many automakers to get into trouble for not
meeting the required criteria (or in the case of Volkswagen, cheating and attempting to
circumvent the rules) cars can't be sold in the U.S. until they've undergone official
EPA testing.
And if the budget has been slashed, that could mean that automakers won't be able to bring
their cars to market as quickly as they once could.
Which could have detrimental effects on everyone, especially if we're talking cleaner, greener
cars.
One solution, seemingly proposed by the U.S. government, is to force automakers to pay
more to have their cars tested, essentially passing the responsibility on the auto industry.
But the fear here is that testing will become less stringent than it once was, letting cheats
slip through the system and ultimately leading to more air pollution -- or that testing will
become a backlog process that prevents new cars from hitting the market.
So what does this mean for cleaner, greener, smarter and safer cars?
Well, like their internal combustion-engined counterparts, electric vehicles and hydrogen
fuel cell vehicles still have to be certified by the EPA before they can reach the market.
And if there are significant financial burdens to bringing already expensive cars to market,
you can guess what could happen: automakers pass on the cost of getting EPA-approval to
customers in the form of higher sticker prices.
And that's bad for everyone.
Is there a solution?
Well, not any that I can think of.
The proposed solution could give automakers even more control over the entire process,
which could lead to more fraud and ultimately a slow eroding of the work that's been done
by the EPA over the past decades.
But with states like California -- and the other ten states that have adopted California's
stricter air quality and fuel economy standards, there is still at least some hope that cleaner,
greener cars will be brought to market -- if only so automakers can sell to some of the
most important car markets in the U.S. without fear of financial repercussions.
But what do you think?
Leave your thoughts in the Comments below, don't forget to like, comment and subscribe,
support us through Patreon (there's a link below and at the end of this video) and I'll
be back tomorrow -- and as it's Friday, you can look forward to TEN -- the usual weekly
roundup of the news in the world of cleaner, greener, safer and smarter Transportation.
Until then, I'm Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield, thanks for watching and as always, Keep Evolving!
For more infomation >> ПРИЧЕСКА В ШКОЛУ КОСА ЛАЙФКАХ| ПРИЧЕСКИ ПЛЕТЕНИЯ | HAIRSTYLES FOR SCHOOL TUTORIAL | ЕЛЕНА ЗАИТОВА - Duration: 10:09. 
For more infomation >> Nail Art Desing - Nail Coloring Page - Learn Colors for Kids - Duration: 4:25. 
For more infomation >> Subway Surf Vs Subway Surfers Monaco Colors Cartoons for Kids Cartoons for Kids Children - Duration: 11:11. 
For more infomation >> Grandparent's lifetime mortgage helped Becca get her first home - Duration: 3:03. 
For more infomation >> YesMyBitcoin ?? YES Your Bitcoin, and my super GIFT for you ! - Duration: 2:10. 
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét