She told Reuters CAFE standards, first adopted as part of a 1975 law, are “not the most relevant tool for dealing with the future of transportation in this country or globally” as the industry shifts away from internal combustion vehicles toward electric and other zero-emissions models. “Our future is not with the internal combustion engine.”
Nichols, 75, is scheduled to retire from CARB this year and is among the top candidates to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Biden, according to sources.
Nichols is on Automotive News‘ list of 100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry.
She declined to say whether she was being vetted by the Biden team but said if offered she would take the EPA administrator job.
“I have said that I am very interested, but I think I also just need to make clear that I am interested in volunteering to do anything that is of service to the new administration,” Nichols said.
A spokesman for Biden did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In the interview, Nichols described “a huge volume of stuff that needs to be reversed and repudiated” by a Biden administration EPA but said some of Trump’s policies could be undone “informally” through “negotiation and good will.”
She spoke during an interview that will be part of Reuters Events Energy Transition North America.
Nichols noted Biden could not immediately snap back to former President Barack Obama’s CAFE requirements.
The Center for Biological Diversity estimates the California deal will improve fuel economy 3.7 percent year over year between 2022-2026.
Last month, CARB urged automakers to disclose this year any unapproved hardware or software programs that compromise a vehicle’s emissions control system after VW’s record-setting diesel emissions scandal.
Nichols said CARB “had a lot of questions informally about what that meant but we’ve not seen any new wave of disclosures…. It was an important message to send.”
In September, California Gov. Gavin Newsom directed CARB to draft regulations to ban the sale of new gasoline powered passenger vehicles starting in 2035.
Nichols said, “there are a number of unanswered questions including some definitional questions” about the 2035 plan, including whether CARB will adopt “interim milestones.”
