ASU Now | August 21, 2019
An Arizona State University School of Sustainability alumnus was one of three experts to author a report on the potential consequences of the current administration’s plan to rollback Obama-era vehicle fuel economy standards. The report from Chris Harto, a former Science Foundation Arizona Fellow (2007-2009) who now serves as a senior policy analyst of transportation and energy for Consumers Reports’ Washington, D.C. office shows that “American consumers will lose about $460 billion dollars in fuel savings in the coming years” if the plans are enacted.
Harto and the other two experts, Shannon Baker-Branstetter and Adam Winer say that despite the fact that “safety” is the alleged motivation behind the rollback, the proposal would not improve highway safety. Additionally, the impact of the proposed plan does not just fall on consumers. The report also shows that the rollback of the fuel economy would cause vehicle sales to decline by more than two million vehicles. The full report, fact sheet and summary can be found on Consumer Reports.
Chris Harto was a member of the School of Sustainability's Master of Science class of 2009.