California senator demands resignation of energy board over controversial tire rule
Backlash is growing over California’s controversial new tire rules aimed at lowering emissions — and now a state senator is joining the calls for the bureaucrats behind the rules to lose their jobs.The tire regulations, approved Monday by the California Energy Commission, will phase out replacement tires that fail to meet the state’s new energy-efficiency standards — eventually wiping out 70% of the market and jacking up costs for drivers, critics say.“If these commissioners had to face the voters this November; they would all be removed,” said state Sen.
Tony Strickland (R), vice chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, in an interview.Strickland said the rules illustrate a fundamental problem in California: too much authority in the hands of unelected bureaucrats — who earn between $166,306 and $215,631 while meeting only once a month, in the case of energy commissioners.
Strickland sent a letter Thursday to the energy commission calling on all five board members to resign.“You have recourse in terms of an election.You don’t have that with these unaccountable boards and agencies,” he told The Post.
Beginning in 2029, the ban targets high-resistance tires that take more energy to keep moving down the road.The commission believes the tire regulations will save fuel costs for consumers.
But critics of the ban say it’ll wipe out lower-cost tire options, raising prices as the industry scrambles to replace the majority of replacement tires currently on the market.Average tire prices could increase from $81 to as much as $157, according to the Tire Industry Association.
For a full set of four tires, the difference could exceed $300 per vehicle.“At a time when families are struggling to make ends meet, the CEC approved a new mandate that will force struggling families to purchase more expensive replacement tires,” Strickland wrote in his letter.The energy commissioners are appointed by the governor and approved by the state Senate...