A new survey finds the vast majority of Virginians want automakers to continue improving their vehicles' fuel efficiency.
Large majorities of Americans support better fuel efficiency for cars and government regulations to make it happen. Support fluctuates based on if a company makes the decision or if the government mandates it.
Chris Harto, senior policy analyst for transportation and energy at Consumer Reports, said people across the political spectrum want improved fuel economy standards but people believe their wants are not always guiding decisions by automakers.
"Americans want better fuel economy. They want automakers to continue to deliver more efficient vehicles," Harto reported. "They don't trust automakers to do that on their own, and they support the government pushing automakers to make sure that they deliver more efficient vehicles."
More than 80% of respondents want carmakers to continue focusing on improving fuel economy for their vehicles and a little more than 60% of respondents in the South want the government to continue increasing fuel efficiency standards.
Another analysis by Consumer Reports bodes well for fuel efficiency and emissions standards. It found compared to cars from 2001, efficiency and emission standards have saved consumers more than $9,000 over today's average vehicle's life span.
Harto pointed out if the Trump administration chooses to decrease fuel economy standards, it is possible fewer federal fuel economy standards will lead to less fuel efficiency on vehicles.
"When you 'let the market decide,' the market doesn't deliver the savings that our survey shows consumers clearly want," Harto explained. "These standards really help push the market to do what consumers really want the market to do but apparently, it doesn't appear like the market will do without those standards."
Harto added car manufacturers can create more aerodynamic vehicles, reduce weight and embrace hybrid technology to increase fuel economy for consumers.
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Lawmakers in Congress are considering repealing financial incentives for clean energy in order to fund other priorities of the Trump administration.
In Nebraska, startup funding for wind and solar projects is on the line, as well as hundreds of jobs. Right now, Nebraska is 47th in the nation for its amount of installed solar power infrastructure.
Liz Veazey, Omaha-based director of state policy campaigns for Solar United Neighbors Action, said cutting the financial incentives for the state to expand solar would send Nebraska's environmental health in the wrong direction.
"As a state, we also don't have much natural gas or coal, and most of that has to be imported from out of the state," Veazey pointed out. "That requires us to send millions of dollars out of the state to import those dirty fuels."
Veazey added creating more solar and other clean energy infrastructure also creates more jobs and lowers consumers' energy bills. Right now, expansion is underway in Grand Island on the second-largest solar farm in the state, which will provide power for 10,000 Nebraska homes when it comes online.
Research shows removing clean energy tax credits would increase residential electricity bills by 9% and cost the state more than 2,000 jobs.
Jack Pratt, associate vice president of political engagement for Environmental Defense Fund Action, said cutting the tax incentives could hobble recent high-tech investments in the Nebraska economy.
"There's been a ton of data centers in Nebraska," noted. "Those do create a lot of jobs and a lot of investment, but they also consume a lot of energy."
Pratt stressed the jobs make creating renewable sources of energy imperative. A 30% tax credit to retrofit a home with solar panels and a $7,500 cash rebate to buy an electric vehicle would be eliminated. The U.S. House could vote on whether to keep the incentives this month.
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By Kyla Russell for WISH-TV.
Broadcast version by Joe Ulery for Indiana News Service reporting for the WISH-TV-Free Press Indiana-Public News Service Collaboration
The Environmental Protection Agency is threatening to pull over $20 billion in grant money from clean energy projects, including $117 million in Indiana.
Last year, the Indiana Community Action Association says they were awarded the grant money under the Biden administration. Now, under the Trump administration, they say their unreceived funding is frozen and their account suspended.
“It is really the only funding source that the coalition has,” Program Director at Solar Opportunities Indiana Alison Becker said.
The money was included in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, approved by Congress under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.
The fund offered grants to various groups, including the ICAA.
Part of their money was set to be used to fund the Solar for All program, which aims to install lasting solar panels in communities across the state, with a special focus on low income areas and disadvantaged communities.
In Indianapolis, some of the money would have gone to transforming an old landfill on the southeast side into a solar farm, providing an alternative energy source for nearby houses.
“We have a goal to to reach all 92 counties to provide solar opportunities to income qualified individuals, but without the grant money, none of that will be able to proceed,” Becker said.
Putting an end to the funding won’t only put a stop to the work.
Former EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe says the freeze will have several ripple effects, including driving up the price of power.
“We’re going to see businesses think, ‘Hmm. Is it really a good idea for me to invest, and maybe plan to hire more people, when I’m not sure whether the federal government is actually going to deliver on the commitment that it made?’” McCabe said.
Without the funding, several jobs that already exist or would be created would be lost, too.
The new EPA Administrator, Lee Zeldin, says fraud is the reason they plan to pull contracts for the many projects.
But, McCabe said there were multiple safeguards in place to ensure the money was not used in bad faith.
“It would actually be pretty difficult to put in an application that would make it through the multiple levels of expert review, if you weren’t legitimately qualified to do the work that you needed to do,” McCabe said. “This was a true competition.”
McCabe said the changes only disrupt workers and everyday Hoosiers, especially when many of the contracts for projects have already been signed on the dotted line.
“It’s just not good for the country, it’s not good for the people who live in this country,” McCabe said. “It’s not good for businesses in this country. It’s not good for our energy policy.”
“We made a commitment to see it through,” Becker said. “The government made a commitment to us that they were going to fund it. This has the ability to impact, not just the people who received the services, but to transform the market.”
News 8 reached out to the Trump administration’s EPA to ask why the ICAA’s funds specifically have been frozen and what the group could do to unfreeze it.
“EPA worked expeditiously to enable payment accounts for IIJA (Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) and IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) grant recipients, so funding is now accessible to all recipients.”
Kyla Russell wrote this article for WISH-TV.
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One of West Virginia's major utilities, Appalachian Power, is proposing a more than 13% rate hike, along with cuts to its current net metering rate for solar users.
Residents' monthly bills have already jumped more than $40 since 2019.
Courtney MacDonald, coalition coordinator for the nonprofit West Virginians for Energy Freedom, said customers are shelling out more and more of their income on energy bills, while being squeezed by rising food prices and cost of living.
"There would be an overall monthly bill increase of $23.74 per month for an average user, consumer," MacDonald pointed out. "That's very significant."
Electricity bills in West Virginia have increased by 135% in the last decade, according to the West Virginia Citizen Action Group. The utility said the increase is needed to maintain its network, accommodating growing energy demands, and integrating new energy sources.
MacDonald expects a public hearing on the case this summer. There are already thousands of public comments, and residents can submit more through the West Virginians for Energy Freedom website.
"People can and should be submitting comments right now to the docket, and we do have a very easy way for people to do that," MacDonald added.
Currently, Mountain State customers with rooftop solar receive a credit for any excess energy their systems produce, known as net metering. The utility is now asking the Public Service Commission of West Virginia to cut its crediting rates for solar owners.
MacDonald believes it would be a blow to the state's budding renewable energy industry.
"It really has created more jobs, it has created a more robust and resilient energy system and allowed people to have a little bit more freedom and control over their bills," MacDonald emphasized.
A 2024 survey from the Pew Research Center said 63% of Americans support the nation taking steps to become carbon-neutral by 2050 and most said the focus should be on developing renewable energy.
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