# UPDATE: The Trump administration will soon propose a reduction in auto fuel efficiency. But the majority of Americans disagree with this position.

- Link: https://greenlivingguy.com/2018/09/update-trump-administration-will-soon-propose-reduction-auto-fuel-efficiency-yet-majority-americans-disagree/
- Published: 2018-09-11T21:44:58-04:00
- Author: greenlivingguy

FUEL EFFICIENCY UPDATE: The Transportation Department’s National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) and [Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are expected proposing to weaken fuel efficiency standards forcars and trucks](https://greenlivingguy.com/2018/04/aceee-denounces-imminent-epa-rejection-commonsense-light-duty-standards/).
In addition, to fight the right of California and other states who want to set stricter
standards.

**Wait?! What Happened to State’s Rights?**

NSEE Report: [Fuel Economy, Electric Vehicle Rebates, and Gas Taxes: 10 Years of American Opinion on Transportation Policies](http://closup.umich.edu/issues-in-energy-and-environmental-policy/38/fuel-economy-electric-vehicle-rebates-and-gas-taxes-10-years-of-transportation-policies-in-the-nsee/)

Furthermore and over the last 10 years, the University of Michigan’s CLOSUP and 
Muhlenberg College’s Polling Institute have conducted [National Surveys on Energy and the Environment](http://closup.umich.edu/national-surveys-on-energy-and-environment/)(
NSEE). These surveys are biannual national opinion surveys on energy and climate
policy. This report presents time-series data. It’s showing how attitudes about 
policies that could reduce emissions from the transportation sector have shifted(
or not) over the last decade.[ Read the full report here](http://closup.umich.edu/issues-in-energy-and-environmental-policy/38/fuel-economy-electric-vehicle-rebates-and-gas-taxes-10-years-of-transportation-policies-in-the-nsee/)

[⌊Trump EPA fuel efficiency ⌉⌊Trump EPA fuel efficiency ⌉[Source: LA TIMES

**Key Findings:**

• For the last decade, there has been most support for increasing [fuel economy standards](https://greenlivingguy.com/2007/08/new-standard-for-cleaner-transportation-fuels-released/)
for vehicles.  In the latest Spring 2018 survey, 64% of Americans say they support
the current fuel economy standards. Hence, ones set by President Obama’s administration
in 2012.

• 54% of Americans say they oppose the Trump administration’s plans to roll back
the standard. However, Republicans in support of Trump’s proposal (45%) slightly
outnumber those in opposition (41%) to rolling back the standard.

Most (61%) Americans support the 50-year-old policy that allows California to set
stricter standards for vehicles. Therefore and think California must keep its existing
standards even if the federal government lowers the national standard.  Among Republicans,
there is more support (49%) than opposition (38%) for this policy.

• Broad support for vehicle fuel economy standards is likely related to consumer
benefits; Americans are more supportive of the policy when described as “fuel efficiency”
and not as a tool to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

• Apart from [fuel efficiency standards](https://greenlivingguy.com/2025/12/auto-fuel-economy-rollback-and-its-impact/),
there is high support (71%) for offering rebates for purchasers of electric vehicles.

• Americans are much less supportive of increasing taxes on gasoline to reducing
greenhouse gas emissions.  That’s with only 29% in support and 63% in opposition.
This is despite the fact that every state plus the federal government have levied
such a tax for much of the last century. The NSEE finds evidence that gas tax may
be due to how tax revenue expenditures.

In addition, University of Michigan’s [Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP)](http://closup.umich.edu/national-surveys-on-energy-and-environment/)
has just released a new report that provides a detailed account of California vehicle
emissions waiver requests for both light- and heavy-duty vehicles. The report documents
how frequently the federal government has approved California’s requests to exceed
federal fuel efficiency standards, though the Trump Administration has signaled 
that it may not grant future waiver requests from California. [Read that report here](http://closup.umich.edu/issues-in-energy-and-environmental-policy/36/federalism-and-californias-role-in-vehicle-emissions-standards/).

NSEE’s principle researchers can offer expert analyses on the policies and politics
related to the issues raised in this report:

Barry Rabe, professor of public policy and director of University of Michigan’s 
Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP), is a [national thought leader in environmental politics and policy](http://fordschool.umich.edu/video/2018/barry-rabe-carbon-pricing)
and author of five books, including [Can We Price Carbon?](http://fordschool.umich.edu/news/2018/can-we-price-carbon)(
2018). He has received three American Political Science Association awards for his
research in this area and was the first social scientist to receive a U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency Climate Protection Award for his use of scholarship to advance
policymaking.

Chris Borick, professor of political science and director of the Muhlenberg College
Institute of Public Opinion (MCIPO), is a nationally recognized public opinion researcher
who has conducted more than 300 large-scale public opinion surveys over the past
two decades. He founded MCIPO, which measures the public’s views on electoral and
public policy issues with a concentration on environmental and health matters. MCIPO
earned an A in [FiveThirtyEight’s 2018 Pollster Ratings](https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/pollster-ratings/)
and was ranked first among all colleges and universities in the nation and 10th 
overall by Nate Silver in 2014.

Sources:

[The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy](http://closup.umich.edu/) (CLOSUP)
is housed at the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.
CLOSUP conducts and supports applied policy research designed to inform state, local,
and urban policy issues. Through integrated research, teaching, and outreach involving
academic researchers, students, policymakers and practitioners.  Therefore, CLOSUP
seeks to foster understanding of today’s state and local policy problems.  In addition
and most noteworthy to find effective solutions to those problems.

The Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion (MCIPO), founded in 2001. It’s
with a mission to conduct scientific based research related to public opinion.  
That’s at the local, state and national level. Since its founding the MCIPO has 
focused its attention on measuring the public’s views on electoral and public policy
issues.  However, with a concentration on environmental and health matters. MCIPO
earned an A in [FiveThirtyEight’s 2018 Pollster Ratings.](https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/pollster-ratings/)

_Finally, funding for the NSEE surveys to-date has been provided by general revenues
of the University of Michigan Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy. In addition,
the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion. The authors did not accept any
stipend or supplemental income completing the survey. In addition or the reports
from this survey. The NSEE is committing to transparency in all facets of our work.
That’s including timely release and posting of data from each survey wave.  As well,
including providing online access to NSEE survey instruments, data tables, and downloadable
datasets._