Issues
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce Energy Subcommittee held a hearing today on “The Clean Future Act: Driving Decarbonization of the Transportation Sector”. The committee members heard testimony from: Amol Phadke, M.S., Ph.D, Staff Scientist and Deputy Department Head, International Energy Analysis Department Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Joe Britton, Executive Director, Zero…
The Senate Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Maritime, Freight and Ports held a hearing entitled “Driving Innovation: the Future of Automotive Mobility, Safety and Technology. The hearing featured witness testimony from John Bozzella, the President and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, Ann Wilson, the Senior Vice President of the Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association,…
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation released today principles for driving monitoring technology. These guidelines come after the Tesla crash in Texas, which caused two deaths. Automakers are seeking to distance themselves from Tesla to ensure that consumers have continued confidence in new technologies and automated driving systems. These principles are intended to address consumer questions…
The National Highway Transit Safety Administration (NHTSA) is proposing restoring California and other state’s ability to set more stringent limits on greenhouse gas emissions from vehicle tailpipes. California has a waiver under the Clean Air Act that gives the state special regulatory authority in environmental issues. However, the Trump administration ruled that California could not…
This week, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation published recommendations for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to update the federal safety rating system for automobiles. The New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) is designed to inform consumers through rating vehicles on their crashworthiness and some crash avoidance features. However, as cars become increasingly technologically advanced,…
The twelve governors of California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington sent a letter to President Joe Biden this week urging him to set a zero-emission transportation goal for 2035. In their request, the governors referenced the recently unveiled American Jobs Plan, which would…
A group of public interest organizations including the State PIRG Affiliates, R-Street, and many more, released a letter this week in support of direct sales and service of electric vehicles (EVs). Currently, a patchwork of legislation in the United States prohibit the direct sale of automobiles in many states. However, this group states that,…
This week, France announced a new “Cash for Clunkers” program that incentivizes citizens to trade in their used vehicles for a 2,500 Euro ($2975) credit for an electric bicycle. This is the first program in the country that acknowledges a potential need for less vehicles on the road, and not just a turn toward clean…
Last month, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was extended from its original deadline of March 31 to its current deadline of May 31. However, the Small Business Administration (SBA) is now warning small businesses that the program may run out of money before the deadline passes. The program, which was re-opened in January with…
The U.S. House of Representatives is slated to vote this week on H.R. 7, a bill that would seek to address gender wage discrimination. If passed, this legislation would require employers to demonstrate that any gap in wages between a male and female employee was due to job performance rather than gender. Additionally, this…