"Flaws in Trump administration modeling inflate the benefits of freezing federal fuel economy standards by hundreds of billions of dollars, some automakers, economists, former EPA staff, and environmental groups say.

The Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said their Aug. 24 proposal (RIN:2127–AL76) to halt federal fuel economy limits at 2020 levels would offer around $200 billion in net benefits and reduce highway fatalities by 12,700 over the lifetime of vehicles built through 2029, compared to the Obama-era standards.

Critical to the agencies’ justification for freezing the standards is the idea that stricter fuel-economy standards raise prices of new vehicles, decreasing sales and increasing the use of older cars, which are inherently less safe. But critics say the agencies’ methods for crunching the numbers are problematic."

Abby Smith reports for Bloomberg Environment November 2, 2018. [2]