California and EPA will align timeline on fuel economy standards

The Obama administration said Monday that an agreement between federal agencies and the state of California to issue new fuel economy standards at the same time will provide more certainty for auto makers.

The administration announced Monday that the state of California will issue new fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards for model year 2017-2025 vehicles on the same day the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation issues their standards.

The federal agencies and the government of California will work together on the standards, which will be released Sept. 1. The California Air Resources Board had previously said it would release its standards in March.

“The single timeframe is another great example of the cooperation that has led us to strong and achievable standards for clean cars in America," EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said in a statement Monday. "I'm proud to be working with my federal and state partners on this next step in the process to make the U.S. the world leader in fuel efficient clean cars."

The increased coordination builds on an effort by the Obama administration to coordinate its fuel economy standards with California. The administration issued its fuel economy standards for 2012-2016 vehicles last year. The state of California had previously agreed to comply with the standards because they are comparable to those established by the state in 2004.

The agreement was significant because it codified the first consistent national fuel economy standards in an attempt to ease auto industry concerns about a “patchwork” of regulations.

While California and the Obama administration had already agreed to work in consultation on the 2017-2025 rules, the administration said Monday that the timeline change signals further cooperation.

“Today's announcement ensures that both proposals will come out simultaneously after a thorough, joint review of all data available when the proposals are issued,” EPA said in a statement.