The Highway Trust Fund (HTF), which funds most surface interstate transportation programs, from roads to bridges, faces insolvency in a few short years. In a House Budget Hearing today, one witness—Robert Poole of the Reason Foundation—offered lawmakers a near-term solution akin to what The Heritage Foundation has proposed: Recommit HTF …
In the interest of trying to make better choices for consumers, Congress has been determined to legislate efficiency mandates for American homes and businesses since the late 1970s. The latest and much-awaited efficiency legislation is being reintroduced in the Senate tomorrow, with a House companion bill coming as early as …
Humans have been using tires since the dawn of the automotive age. But today’s tires aren’t much like their predecessors. Instead of being made with natural rubber, for example, they’re fashioned from layers of materials, including textiles and steel. This is a perfect example of what economist Joseph Schumpeter meant …
Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted a waiver to the state of California to move forward with its Advanced Clean Cars Program. The EPA waiver allows California to implement even tougher fuel efficiency standards than the White House announced last summer in an attempt to integrate more zero-emission …
It seems that no aspect of American life can escape government regulation. In the past year, regulators drafted rules that addressed everything from caloric intake to dishwasher efficiency. Most of these rules increase the cost of living, others hinder job creation, and many erode freedom. Not all regulations are unwarranted, …
Ever since the Senate rejected President Obama’s cap-and-trade scheme in 2009, his administration has been hard at work to find other ways to implement a radical, environmentalist agenda. Obama made these intentions clear at a press conference in 2010 when he explained, “Cap and trade was just one way of …
The federal government finalized new automobile efficiency rules today for cars and light trucks for model years 2017–2025. The rules require an average fuel economy of 54.5 miles per gallon (mpg) in 2025. Proponents of the rule advertise the more stringent mpg standard as a win for producers, consumers, and …
Brace yourself. The cost of a new car in America is set to explode, skyrocketing by thousands of dollars, all thanks to a new regulation proposed by President Barack Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Under a new 893-page proposal unveiled last week, automakers must …
