The Department of Transportation (DOT) has withdrawn a proposed rule that would implement the requirement under the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 to establish a national tire fuel efficiency consumer information program for replacement tires designed for use on motor vehicles. DOT undertook this action pursuant to President Trump’s memorandum calling for a regulatory freeze pending review of regulations.
The proposed rule was part of a two-part rulemaking process aimed at creating a national tire fuel efficiency consumer information program. In 2010, NHTSA published a final rule (part 1) specifying the test procedures to be used to rate the performance and energy efficiency of replacement passenger car tires for this new program. The purpose of the proposed rule (part 2) was to address how this information would be made available to consumers.
The proposed rule has been in development since 2010, when part 1 of the program was finalized. It was submitted to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for review and publication in the Federal Register on October 15, 2016. It had not yet been published as of January 21, 2017 (the date of the regulatory freeze) and was therefore withdrawn in its entirety.
According to the summary of the proposed rule, the agency estimated that the new rule could create annual net benefits of $1.2-$12.7 million at a 3% discount rate, and between $0.2-$10.9 million at a 7% discount rate, in 2013 dollars.
The full text of the proposed rule is not available, but a summary of the rule is available here.