New Fuel Efficiency Regulations to Drive Higher Prices and Restrict Consumer Choice

Abstract: New fuel-efficiency standards issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency will increase the average cost of a new car by $3,000 by 2025. Furthermore, consumers are unlikely to realize the projected fuel savings used to justify these standards, and the new standards will further constrain consumer choice. The market is better able to meet the needs of American consumers—including fuel efficiency—than the paternalistic government in Washington, which already uses the tax code and other government subsidies to pick winners and losers in the auto marketplace, distorting it to the detriment of consumers and the economy.

High winds, heavy snow slam Northwest

Heavy snow fell in the mountains. Accumulations from the storm that started Sunday are likely to total 2 to 3 feet by Tuesday morning in the Washington Cascades, Buehner said.