BUSINESS/CALIFORNIA/EPA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Acting U.S. EPA chief Andrew Wheeler told lawmakers on Wednesday [8-1-18] he would welcome any deal between the auto industry and states like California that might result from a long-awaited Trump administration effort to roll back vehicle emission rules. The Trump administration’s proposal on vehicle fuel efficiency, which would roll back Obama-era standards, is expected to include plans to freeze tailpipe emissions limits at 2020 levels through 2026. It is also expected to revoke California’s power to set state emissions rules that are tougher than the federal government’s and mandate the purchase of electric vehicles. The proposal, by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation, will be released on Thursday [8-2-18], an administration official said on the condition of anonymity. On the eve of the release, Wheeler told a U.S. Senate hearing that any deal between the auto industry and California and the 12 other states that follow its lead on emissions limits would be well received, as the parties digest the proposal and the EPA moves to issue a final rule.”
–Timothy Gardner, “EPA head wants car industry, states to compromise on emissions,” Reuters, August 1, 2018