Environmentalists and political commentators are wringing their hands as they fear the demise of the EPA. They worry that proposals to disarm the Environmental Protection Agency could diminish its role in helping to regulate vehicle emissions across America. What will happen when it comes to greenhouse gas limits or fuel economy targets, they ask, and won’t a slimmed-down EPA give free rein to American automakers instead? There’s plenty of rhetoric, but if you strip it all away, a bigger reality persists. The American automotive industry has long since moved on from regulatory worries and has, instead, plowed significant resources into electrifying vehicles like the Ford F-150. These automakers also have to pay attention to other market movers and regulations and, in essence, the EPA was never the only game in town. So why will a weaker EPA have almost no impact on the US automotive industry?
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