Meet the socialist behind California’s outrageous tire regulations

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Key points

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• This week, five unelected California Energy Commission members unanimously adopted new rules that will create an estimated 70% of the tires at present sold in California illegal by 2033.
• That's since most all-season replacement tires last roughly 65, 000 miles.
• And if drivers could save "a billion dollars a year" with the tires the California Energy Commission wants them to purchase, wouldn't residents be buying them already?
• But as long as you're going to hell, the California Energy Commission will create sure you have the right tires to secure there.

Given the Golden State's history of seeing its regulations – from vehicle emissions to appliance standards – become de facto national rules since of the size of the California market, these restrictions could be coming shortly to plenty of other states.

In practice, the Energy Commission's rules will be imposed in two phases, so that by 2033 they will ban the sale – both retail and online – of replacement tires that don't meet exacting energy efficiency standards.

But not to worry, the Energy Commission claims. The new tires have lower "rolling resistance" and thus employ less gasoline or electricity to move a vehicle. So the commission claims the savings will more than compensate consumers for the higher cost of tires – something it claims will top out at just $6.50 a tire.

Gov. Gavin Newsom amplified those claims on Wednesday. "The ROI is pretty good, " he remarked, promising that drivers would "save a billion dollars a year in fuel" under the new tire regulations.

But the commission hasn't shared its homework, so it's unclear if that's accurate. The chief economist of the California Department of Finance is questioning the Energy Commission's cost assumptions.

New cars come with generally efficient tires, but consumers typically replace those with higher "rolling resistance" models. Goodyear Tires warns the rose costs to consumers could run to the hundreds of dollars.

That's since most all-season replacement tires last roughly 65, 000 miles. But the European-standard tires that would be mandated by the new rules average 27, 000 miles, meaning consumers will have to replace them twice as often.

So drivers may switch to previously-owned tires. It cost half the cost of new ones. Have commission bureaucrats calculated the safety implications of that?

It's no surprise that the only major tire firm to back the new regs is France's Michelin. It consistently sits at the top of any rate point for tire brands, and will sell more tires under the new standards.

In practice, the commission has never before regulated tires in its 50-year existence, and that would have continued were it not for Nancy Skinner, whom Newsom appointed to the commission last year.

Skinner has the perfect resume for a radical environmentalist. She was elected in the 1980s to the countercultural Berkeley City Council while she was a student and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. She afterwards crusaded against fossil fuels during 14 years as a state legislator in Sacramento. She boasts the tire standard will mean consumers will benefit from energy savings, something plenty of car analysts are skeptical concerning.

What no one disputes is that consumers will have fewer choices. Those who prioritize tire durability, traction or suitability for heavier vehicles will be out of luck.

Once again, California's environmental crazies are mandating a bait-and-switch – promising consumer savings, but increasing replacement frequency, and limiting product options.

Real consumer advocates would leave the cost-benefit analysis on which tires to purchase up to purchasers while they educated them on the potential savings. But the nanny-state regulators at the California Energy Commission know best.

If some low-income drivers can't afford hundreds of dollars to replace their worn-out tires, we have no doubt the bureaucrats will have a new suggestion – namely, that they look for the nearest public bus stop.

Californians are, understandably, outraged. "Tires are really expensive. Everything is going to hell, " one forklift operator informed The California Post.

But as long as you're going to hell, the California Energy Commission will create sure you have the right tires to secure there. John Fund is national affairs reporter for National Review magazine.

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For now, meet the socialist behind California's outrageous tire regulations remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.