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EPA taps new transportation emissions regulator
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named a new vehicle emissions regulator.
Christopher Grundler will head the EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality, EPA told The Hill on Wednesday. The Detroit News first reported the move, citing an internal agency memo.
That office, which oversees emissions from cars, buses and trucks, helped design new vehicle fuel efficiency standards that the Obama administration finalized in August.
It also is looking into Hyundai and Kia’s exaggeration of fuel economy figures for about 900,000 cars.
“(Grundler) has been serving as OTAQ's deputy director since 1995, doing a great job managing and recently modernizing the National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory in Ann Arbor. Chris has also been an integral part of the team that has delivered to the American people cleaner and cleaner cars, trucks, engines and fuels," Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for the EPA Office of Air and Radiation, said in a Nov. 21 email obtained by the News.
Grundler replaces Margo Oge, who is retiring after more than 30 years with EPA.
Oge was a key architect for the new fuel efficiency standards, which require all cars to reach 54.5 miles per gallon by model year 2025.
Under those standards, EPA regulates the tailpipe emissions from vehicles under the Clean Air Act, while the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration set fuel economy requirements.
The Obama administration said those fuel standards will save consumers more than $1.7 trillion and cut national oil consumption by 12 billion barrels.
— This story was updated at 1 p.m.
