Issues
The Coalition for Sustainable Automotive Regulation (CSAR), a coalition of automakers including Toyota Motor Corp., Fiat Chrysler, and Hyundai, announced this morning their withdrawal from an emissions lawsuit between California and the federal government. The group of automakers have been defending the federal government in their petition to revoke California’s Clean Air Waiver. California’s…
Last week, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released new guidance on mitigating and preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. These guidelines come after President Joe Biden’s January 21 executive order on “Protecting Worker Health and Safety”. The new guidelines include a recommendation to wear face coverings in the office, as well…
The Biden administration has made it clear that environmental reform and fighting climate change will be a top policy issue for the next four years. A central tenet of new environmental policy is likely to be a push for electric and zero-emission vehicles. Read an analysis of electric vehicle adoption here.
President Biden signed today an “Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad”. This executive order is the first step in the Biden administration’s sweeping plans for environmental reform over the next four years. In the order, President Biden reiterates his goal of for a carbon-free electricity sector in the United States…
On Thursday, the Biden Administration announced a slate of new appointments to the Department of Transportation (DOT). The majority of these announcements are deputy positions that do not require Senate confirmation and allow employees to get to work right away. Notable appointments include Steve Cliff, a former California air quality official, to run the National…
The National Highway Transportation Safety Association (NHTSA) published a final rule this week exempting 325 motor vehicles per year from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). The motor vehicles exempted must be copies of vintage cars produced by small manufacturers. To read the ruling, click here.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Association (NHTSA) published a final rule today that is intended to streamline innovation of autonomous vehicles by making it easier to manufacture and test new vehicle technology. The final rule clarifies some ambiguities within the agency vehicle safety standards, such as the crashworthiness requirement for new vehicles. Since many…
This week, the second round of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) opened access to Community Financial Institutions (CFIs). In a statement released today, the Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the opening of second round PPP loans to all eligible lenders. The second round of the PPP will open first to small lenders with less…
Today, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a draft version of “Cybersecurity Best Practices for the Safety of Modern Vehicles”. This document is an updated version of a 2016 document of the same name and provides guidelines and recommendations from NHTSA to the automotive industry for improving vehicle cybersecurity and safety. Included…
The Department of Transportation (DOT) released today a comprehensive plan for autonomous vehicles. This document builds on previous work from DOT to regulate autonomous vehicle production and is organized into three main goals: promote collaboration and transparency, modernize the regulatory environment, and prepare the transportation system. To read the full document, click here.