In a move that’s drawing cheers from everyday Americans and groans from climate ideologues, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is going after one of the most irritating so-called “green” car features foisted on drivers in the name of climate virtue-signaling: start/stop engine technology.
“Start/stop technology: where your car dies at every red light so companies get a climate participation trophy,” Zeldin posted on social media Monday. “EPA approved it, and everyone hates it, so we’re fixing it.”
The message was clear—and widely welcomed. Zeldin’s tweet quickly racked up over 8 million views, resonating with drivers sick of watching their engines cut out at every intersection, all for dubious environmental gain.
The feature, which automatically shuts off a vehicle’s engine at red lights or in heavy traffic and restarts it when the brake is released, was first pushed during the Obama administration as part of a broader push to force so-called “fuel efficiency” and lower emissions. But critics say the tech offers marginal fuel savings at best—and comes with real headaches.
While the EPA once estimated that the system could improve fuel economy by a modest 4-5%, it hasn’t clearly proven to reduce emissions in real-world testing. Drivers, meanwhile, complain about the jarring experience of their engines constantly cutting off and restarting—not to mention concerns that the repeated wear and tear on batteries and starters could shorten a vehicle’s life.
Under Zeldin’s leadership, the EPA is now moving to prevent automakers from collecting carbon credits for including the stop-start feature in new vehicles. In other words, the government may soon stop rewarding car manufacturers for adding something the public overwhelmingly dislikes.
This shift is just the latest in a wave of common-sense reforms Zeldin is spearheading at the EPA—part of President Trump’s broader push to roll back excessive, job-killing regulation and restore energy independence.
Zeldin has been unafraid to call out the climate hysteria driving many of these mandates. He recently blasted New York Governor Kathy Hochul for banning gas hookups in new construction, ending safe natural gas extraction, and pushing the state toward a future of electric vehicles while blocking major energy infrastructure projects like the Constitution Pipeline.
He also revealed in January that the Biden administration had quietly parked $20 billion in taxpayer funds with Citibank in Manhattan—cash earmarked for far-left environmental activist groups under the guise of climate investment through the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act.
President Trump tapped Zeldin to lead the charge on regulatory reform earlier this year, with an executive order directing agencies to eliminate at least 10 regulations for every new one introduced. The goal? Cut the red tape strangling American innovation and restore prosperity by unleashing the energy sector and industry at large.
Zeldin’s stand against the unpopular start/stop system is a symbolic—and practical—victory for everyday Americans who are tired of being guinea pigs in the Left’s climate experiments. It’s one small rollback for regulation, and one giant leap for common sense.
