"Trump’s Approach to the Future of the Fuel Economy and Emissions Regulation – And some Alternatives"

The R Street Institute, in close collaboration with the Grace Richardson Fund, is hosting a panel on the Transportation Sector and how it might benefit from Clean Tax Cuts (CTC).

Date and Time: April 14, 2017, 12-1:30pm
Venue: U.S. Capitol Visitor's Center, Room SVC-215
Address: Capitol Hill, Washington. DC

Summary | Discussion Paper
Article: Revise CAFE (2 pgs.) | Article: CAFE / CTC (8 pgs.)

Transportation and Clean Tax Cuts

In Ypsilanti, Michigan, President Donald J. Trump announced that the Environmental Protection Agency would reconsider the automotive emissions standards it affirmed in the waning days of the Obama administration as a part of the One National Program. Under the Obama administration, the "CAFE" program on fuel efficiency regulation morphed into an arm of the Climate Action Plan, directing substantial reductions in vehicle fuel use for the purposes of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Now, though nominally harmonized with automobile emissions standards, fuel economy standards are functionally subject to regulation by three separate agencies and - the Michigan announcement notwithstanding - risk subjecting automakers to disparate and costly requirements that could directly harm consumers.

In light of Trump's announcement and the fresh look it represents, it's time to re-think our approach to reducing fuel use and emissions from the vehicle fleet and to consider other, less destructive forms of regulation. A new supply-side idea, known as Clean Tax Cuts (CTCs), may prove a promising alternative. CTCs are premised on the notion that by replacing existing regulatory structures predicated on penalizing industry for not adhering to prescriptive targets with one that rewards industry - via reduced taxes - for beating targets, investment and innovation will be stimulated.

Please join the R Street Institute for a panel discussion of these recent developments, the existing triune approach to fuel economy regulation, and how Clean Tax Cuts could offer a market-based way forward.

Lunch will be served.

FEATURING

  • Marlo Lewis
    Senior Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute
  • Chris Nevers
    Vice President for Energy and the Environment at the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers
  • Rod Richardson
    President of the Grace Richardson Fund
  • Wayne Winegarden
    Senior Fellow at the Pacific Research Institute
  • Ian Adams
    Senior Fellow at the R Street Institute (Moderator)

For more information on Clean Tax Cuts or to participate in other events, please contact Rod Richardson at
917-860-0697 or [email protected].