In this midterm election, voters have the power to take control
October 6, 2026
By Gary Abernathy
Thanks to Trump administration directives, Americans can celebrate ending oppressive and expensive regulations and mandates that have hiked prices across virtually all goods and services. But tragically, we are just a few short weeks away from an election featuring radical socialist-style candidates who, if victorious, will assuredly try to roll back all the gains that have been made.
The latest cost-cutting move came last week when the Transportation Department announced that it will “finalize sharply lower vehicle fuel economy standards through 2031, reversing a push by the Biden administration to force automakers to build more electric vehicles,” as Reuters reported.
Referring to former President Joe Biden and his transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, the Transportation Department noted in its own announcement that “the Biden-Buttigieg standards were set so high that they created a backdoor electric vehicle mandate. Automakers and their hardworking employees lost billions complying with the last administration’s regulation – investing in uneconomic production lines and promising thousands of jobs that were never sustainable without massive government support and funneling millions in compliance credits to EV manufacturers.”
The department reported that to avoid the costly economy requirements, some automakers had made slight changes to vehicles that allowed for reclassification of light trucks and passenger vehicles.
“This final rule will change classification criteria starting in model year 2030 to reflect each vehicle’s intended use accurately, flipping the current fleet mix of approximately 70% light trucks and 30% passenger vehicles to around 70% passenger cars and 30% light trucks,” the department noted. Most importantly, the new standards are expected to “reduce the average cost of a new vehicle by $1,300 for American families” and “save the American people $138 billion over the next five years.”
The reversal came on the heels of EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s announcement of “the repeal of the majority of the Biden administration’s greenhouse gas requirements for U.S. power plants, an action the agency projects will save $310 billion.” The EPA’s announcement added, “If finalized, the new proposal would save an additional $370 million in direct compliance costs, in addition to the billions more American families and businesses can expect to see saved across the economy.”
The Great Awakening on the federal level that has helped the U.S. escape the clutches of budget-busting climate zealotry is beginning to extend to the states. Just last week, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced “that he directed the Ohio EPA to begin the process to end the E-Check vehicle testing programs in Northeast Ohio.”
Most of Ohio does not require drivers to undergo routine vehicle emissions testing, but the Cleveland area counties of Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage and Summit have done so since 1996. Ohio EPA Director John Logue shared his belief that even without E-Check “the area will still be in attainment for those national ambient air quality standards. That it’s basically no longer necessary.”
As the story reported one local resident saying, “Some people can’t afford to get things fixed on their car and it’s just a big hassle, they should have cut that out a long time ago.” Amen.
According to Kelley Blue Book, up to 29 states “require an emissions test to register a vehicle or renew an existing registration,” some statewide, others only in certain regions. But a growing number of states are seeking EPA approval to end emissions tests. And last year, President Trump signed three resolutions designed to prevent California and 10 other states from implementing pollution mandates that were stricter than federal standards. Predictable legal challenges ensued.
Trump can put the icing on the cake by signing an executive order implementing the core elements of the Affordable, Reliable, Clean Energy Security act, introduced in Congress last year by Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH). Such an order would make affordability the key factor in all governmental energy decisions, encourage robust investment and production, and strengthen both our economic and national security. Its effectiveness would be its own success, making it foolish for the policies to ever be reversed.
Overall, reasons for consumers to celebrate abound. Billions of dollars saved. Intrusive government regulations repealed. Accountability and transparency restored. Who would ever want to go back?
And yet, we are one election away from putting more people in power who want a return to mandates, subsidies and other Big Government, socialist-style dictates that will send household costs through the roof on all things connected to energy, including transportation, lodging, construction, cooling, heating – the list of goods and services directly impacted by higher energy costs is practically endless.
Whatever reasons one may have for supporting one set of candidates over another, there is no more important issue than where they stand on energy. Do they back all energy options – oil, gas, coal, nuclear, wind and solar – and believe in allowing the free market to work its magic and keep prices low? Or do they support government edicts and subsidies that will lead to rising costs and require taxpayers to write bigger checks to Uncle Sam each April?
Voters should remember one crucial fact when preparing to cast their ballots: Controlling energy controls our lives. Take control.
Gary Abernathy is a longtime newspaper editor, reporter and columnist. He was a contributing columnist for the Washington Post from 2017-2023 and a frequent guest analyst across numerous media platforms. He is a contributing opinion columnist for The Empowerment Alliance, which advocates for realistic approaches to energy consumption and environmental conservation.