There is a lot an EPA administrator could be doing. We are in a climate crisis and desperately need to be facing it head on with mitigation and solutions. Republicans won’t allow that. In fact, they are determined to make it worse. That’s their mission.
But the performative politics of the Trump administration is exceedingly stpud. It starts with the president, of course. He’s the master. But they’re all doing it now. Check this out from Lee Zeldin:
The Trump administration is targeting climate technology that automatically turns a vehicle’s engine off when it’s stopped to save fuel.
Stop-start technology has become a common feature in new vehicles as a way to save a few bucks on gas and reduce emissions. Advocates like it because it helps combat climate change, but critics find it irritating.
EPA administrator Lee Zeldin blasted stop-start systems in a post Monday on X, signaling that the agency would take action against it. “Start/stop technology: where your car dies at every red light so companies get a climate participation trophy,” Zeldin said. “EPA approved it, and everyone hates it, so we’re fixing it.”
The EPA doesn’t mandate stop-start technology, but it provides extra fuel economy credits to automakers that adopt it. Spokespeople for the EPA and the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, the auto industry’s trade group, had no immediate comment Monday morning.
Stop-start systems eliminated nearly 10 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually as of 2023, according to the Battery Council International. The technology was included in 65% of vehicles in 2023, up from 9% in 2016.
Guess what? This whole thing is completely idiotic. Not only is it not mandated but …
The feature can generally be turned off at the press of a button.
Seriously, it’s beyond idiocracy.