Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 37

that number, which is almost 20 mpg higher than
it is today... well, I just
don't see it happening.
Specifically, I asked
him to explain the process in order to find out
if there's any way to roll
CAFE back to a more
attainable number.
According to Pruitt,
"the mid-term review in
April 2018 is important...
in looking ahead to
2025. In essence, the
review is to evaluate
if the projections were
correct...or overly optimistic."
"The Obama administration rushed the midterm review by pushing it
up 16 months to January
2017.
The EPA under the
Trump administration will
be doing the review at its
appropriate time in April
2018."
I think it will be very
interesting to see what
they find out. I am
assuming they will find
out that the projections
were way out of line and
I hope they will recommend a lower, more
realistic target. We'll see.
Pruitt went on to say,
"Concerning the design
of vehicles, we shouldn't
go to Detroit and say,
'manufacture a segment,
a percentage, of your
fleet that no one wants
to buy!' Rather, we need
to look at what vehicles
people are actually
buying and then strive to

make them fuel-efficient
with acceptable emissions."
Okay, time out. Let
that soak in for a minute.
Here's a member of President Trump's cabinet,
a cabinet secretary who
runs a powerful federal
agency, saying let the
people decide. Let the
market dictate the direction. Let's find out what
people want and help the
manufacturers meet the
demands of the market
and at the same time
achieve environmental
mandates. Wow, what a
common-sense approach! How refreshing.
"If you make vehicles
that people don't want to
buy, then it's counter-productive," Pruitt concluded.
It's counter-productive because people will
hold on to gas-guzzling,
high-emission, older vehicles longer. That's bad for
the environment and for
new car sales.
I pointed out to the
Administrator about
government involvement
designed to influence
vehicle manufacturing:
specifically concerning
mandates for increased
fuel economy and decreased emissions. This
was the desired outcome,
yet the new engine
designs are susceptible
to fuel deposits and that
has had the reverse
effect: deposits actually
reduce fuel economy and
increase emissions.

So, the federal government's mandates
have caused the exact
opposite of what they
were intended to do.
Therefore, I respectfully
asked the Administrator,
"When does the government need to get out of
the way?"
Pruitt responded,
"My philosophy is that
the market is the better
governor of those things.
The government, when
it mandates certain
things or implements
price controls, it can
have a detrimental effect.
It's always best when
technology and innovation control the market.
American innovation and
technology, when left to
drive the process, always
work best. Government
is slow and reactionary
while industry moves to
get things done quickly
and efficiently."
It seems to me that the
EPA has been a political
hot potato since its creation in the 1970s. EPA
policies have a polarizing
effect in our society with
strong emotions on both
sides. Pruitt summed it up
like this:
"So much of what
we do at the EPA has
been politicized...and
it shouldn't be. What's
'Republican' or 'Democrat' about cleaning up a
superfund site? Nothing!
Clean water and clean air
should not be political...
so we are working hard to

change the discourse and
have meaningful discussion.
In the past, the EPA
exercised regulatory
overreach and lost sight
of its core mission. We
are trying to bring clarity
as we go forward.
We have lost civility in
our discourse-we need
to get back to a reasonable discussion.
We need to celebrate
the achievements in innovation and technology
that we have made in this
country with respect to
clean air and clean water.
We need to embrace how
far we've come."
Well said, Mr. Administrator. Well said.
My personal thanks to
Scott Pruitt for taking time
out of his busy schedule
to sit down and discuss
the issues that impact our
industry. Due to his vision
and leadership, I believe
the relationship between
Washington, D.C. and
the automotive industry
will be stronger and have
more synergy than ever
before. The best is yet to
come.
CHARLIE POLSTON is an
Automotive Customer Retention and Profitability Consultant with BG Products, Inc.
Charlie has been with BG's
Fixed Operations Division
for over 36 years. He has
trained over 7,500 dealers,
managers, and technicians
- and has been a frequent
workshop leader at NADA's
annual convention. EMAIL:
cpolston@bglsi.com

D I G I TA L D E A L E R . C O M

FEBRUARY 2018

37


http://www.DIGITALDEALER.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Digital Dealer - February 2018

Digital Dealer - February 2018
Contents
Letter from the Show Director
Seven Ways to Become More Coachable
Succession Vision Quest
Diseconomies of Scale: New Normal for Many Growing – Decentralized Groups
The Greatest Opportunity Comes at a Time of Shortage
A Blueprint to Sales Training
5 Ways to Power- Up Your Advertising Effectiveness!
Digital Dealer 24 Conference & Expo Featured Speakers
Pay Plan? I Donno It - I Just Get a Check Dude
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt: Growing Business and Protecting the Environment
5 Reasons Car Dealers Should Be Concerned with Fraud
10 Reasons Every Dealership Needs a Written Content Strategy
3 Key Metrics for New Car Success in 2018
What the Hospitality Industry Can Teach Us About Dealerships of the Future
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - CT1
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - CT2
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - Digital Dealer - February 2018
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - Cover2
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 1
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - Contents
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 3
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - Letter from the Show Director
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 5
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - Seven Ways to Become More Coachable
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 7
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - Succession Vision Quest
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 9
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 10
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - Diseconomies of Scale: New Normal for Many Growing – Decentralized Groups
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 12
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 13
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - The Greatest Opportunity Comes at a Time of Shortage
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 15
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 16
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 17
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - A Blueprint to Sales Training
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 19
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 20
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 21
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 5 Ways to Power- Up Your Advertising Effectiveness!
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 23
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - Digital Dealer 24 Conference & Expo Featured Speakers
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 25
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 26
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 27
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 28
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 29
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 30
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 31
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 32
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 33
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - Pay Plan? I Donno It - I Just Get a Check Dude
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 35
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt: Growing Business and Protecting the Environment
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 37
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 5 Reasons Car Dealers Should Be Concerned with Fraud
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 39
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 40
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 41
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 10 Reasons Every Dealership Needs a Written Content Strategy
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 43
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 3 Key Metrics for New Car Success in 2018
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 45
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - What the Hospitality Industry Can Teach Us About Dealerships of the Future
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 47
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - 48
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - Cover3
Digital Dealer - February 2018 - Cover4
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