Post-coronavirus, easing up on CAFE
rules makes more sense than ever

While the President’s action on CAFE is commendable, it still leaves mileage standards and the size and costs of new cars and trucks in the EPA hands, not the manufacturers or consumers. Trump has to get the federal government out of regulating almost every aspect of our lives, not just reducing this control. Since the rules are not laws but regulations, the next Democrat elected president can reimpose the more stringent guidelines;s since they don’t require Congress’ consent. And for the President who just increased the requirements for adding corn based ethanol to gasoline, 15% and year round versus just winter, in order to appease Iowa’s farmers and ethanol producers, CAFE is a half measure. We are adults, not an updated version of impoverished Indians on a federal reservation.

The Cafe rules made a lot of people buy 4 door pickup trucks that get less gas mileage than the cars they replaced. I had a Buick Roadmaster with a 350 cubic inch engine that was truly spectacular on the road . It got 26 miles to the gallon and was powerful, but it didn't last forever, when it had 200,000 miles I traded it for a Toyoya with a 4 cylinder engine that gets 26 mpg and won't pull the hat off your head.

The standards need to be done away with. Let the market decide. Additionally, get rid of the ethanol requirements.

+1 to #3. It has NEVER made sense to burn our food supply, either from an efficiency standpoint (considering the enormous amount of energy necessary to grow and refine the ethanol to start with) or from a basic common sense standpoint. Rahm Emanuel isn't the only human on the planet who ought not let a crisis go to waste.

those cars that shut off and restart the engine at traffic lights, me no like.

The change by auto makers has already taken place due to Cafe Standards. The auto plants are already transforming to manufacturing hybrid or all -electric cars, which by the way, are cheaper to make, with a higher price tag to consumers. And, they rely on Chinese Lithium for their batteries. Now about Ethanol as a fuel. America's diplomacy was fueled by sending surplus food to impoverished countries, rather than the Dollars to Dictators policy now in place.

When considering gasoline vs ethanol, just google the" scene from the Jerk regarding Shinola" and it will become instantly apparent.

Well meaning bureaucrats make our lives miserable because they are usually not experts in the technology but they have the power to push stupid decisions upon the public. We can always fight back by not purchasing the affected products but the usual resistance is just vocal complaining. The concept of seat belts made economic sense but airbags do not. The airbags could be replaced by a double harness like race car drivers use and the cost of each new car would be reduced by several thousand dollars. Very few drivers like the new cameras and sensors but there they are in most new models. Sometimes they are forced to cave in to consumer pressure. Motorcycle riders were badgered by helmet laws for decades and finally won that battle. As a result, the manufacturers took a different safety route by greatly improving tire, brake and suspension technology making far better bikes than we used to have. Riding in the rain is no longer a big challenge. A helmet may protect your head in a crash but better bikes prevent the crash in the first place. Sometimes it's a consumer problem. Americans have resisted small, fuel-efficient cars for years but the average commuter is by himself and could be just as safe and comfortable without being in an SUV. A thousand pound, ultra-strong car with a gasoline engine that exceeds sixty MPG is still a practical possibility.

#4 - If those ethanol corn fields laid fallow, your food supply would be unaffected. Then some would complain of government money going to farmers for empty fields. The corn used to brew ethanol is not the stuff at your food store.

Although some increases in fuel economy can be achieved with evolving technology, we are at he point of diminishing returns in that area. Until we repeal the laws of Physics, it will always take a certain minimum amount of energy to move a defined amount of weight. That means that the largest gains in fuel economy will increasingly come from reducing vehicle weight. That means smaller cars, constructed of lighter materials. How small will Americans tolerate vehicle sizes? It depends. Urban drivers will probably tolerate tiny cars better than rural people, just due to the environment in which they operate. Motor scooters, Mopeds, and even large motorcycles are good alternatives for many people, but heavy traffic locations deter their use, for safety reasons (in those locations I want to drive the biggest truck I can afford!). There are three-wheel motorcycles for people who might not want a two-wheel version. Electric cars, for daily ongoing use, and distance driving don't really work for many people.

"Ease up" on big gummint controls? How about eliminating them? No - - no elimination. We're all socialists now - - gotta keep the big hand of big brother in there. Gotta set it up now - - so that the demonrats can make the transition complete when they regain control.

Even the revised 40 MPG rule will be tough. That's an average fleet number. For every normal car, SUV or van that gets 30 MPG, they will have to sell a 50 MPG car. Rather, they will be forced to sell a 50MPG car - usually by price manipulation. The new standard is welcome but not a cure. People are aware of what they're buying and the EPA distorts the market.

Eliminate ALL input on fuel mileage in all federal laws. Just eliminate it.

Gas at 99 cents a gallon. Keep trucking America. Viva Trump.

Try as I might, I can't seem to find ANY mention in our Constitution that permits the Federal government to have the power, the right, to control this whatever. Nor to permit any of a hundred thousand other intrusive meddling, particularly by unelected swivel-chair fascisti. Bluntly, EPA is an unconstitutional and illegal operation. Created by the vile and statist Republicrat, Nixon. ABOLISH it, fire the bureaucrats, and raze the buildings. Today is good.