A top federal official who helped craft regulations aimed at pushing future electric vehicle (EV) use is departing the Biden administration in an unexpected move, according to an internal agency memo obtained by Fox News Digital.
Ann Carlson — who is currently the acting administrator for the Department of Tranportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — will step down from her role on Dec. 26, 2023, and depart the agency entirely at the end of January. Patrick Lally, who heads NHTSA’s governmental affairs office, made the announcement in a memo circulated among agency staff late Friday.
“Ann has been a tremendous leader — her time as Acting Administrator of NHTSA was time limited under the Vacancies Reform Act,” a DOT spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement. “She is returning to her previous role of senior advisor and Chief Counsel for one month to assist with the transition.”
“Under her leadership, NHTSA strengthened child seat standards, moved to require Automated Emergency Braking in light and heavy vehicles, oversaw major recalls, held registered importers and those who commit odometer fraud accountable for their bad acts, and after horrific increases in previous years, for six straight quarters roadway fatalities have declined,” the statement continued.
Carlson, though, had garnered strong opposition from Republicans over her past climate activism, support for regulations targeting gas-powered vehicles and how she continued to lead NHTSA in an acting role even after failing Senate confirmation for the post in a permanent capacity.
In January 2021, the Biden-Harris transition team hired Carlson, then an environmental law professor at UCLA, to serve as NHTSA’s chief counsel. While the position didn’t require Senate confirmation, Carlson oversaw key agency initiatives in that role and began serving as acting administrator in September 2022.
Then in February 2023, Biden nominated Carlson to permanently lead NHTSA. In the months that followed, she faced heavy opposition from Senate Commerce Committee Republicans for her past work in the private sector advising plaintiffs on climate litigation and comments she made via email about her role with the Biden administration.
Her nomination was then suddenly withdrawn in May, but she remained acting administrator, sparking fury from Republicans and energy advocates. And after her nomination was withdrawn, Carlson crafted new fuel economy regulations designed to incentivize greater EV purchases.
“As Senate Republicans pointed out repeatedly, Ann Carlson was serving as acting administrator contrary to the law,” Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. “Her attempts to hijack this safety agency by rewriting auto fuel economy standards into an unpopular de facto EV mandate should not stand as a result of her illegal appointment.”
“I am hopeful President Biden will nominate someone with the requisite safety experience to lead NHTSA, not another radical, ‘Green New Deal’ activist,” he continued.
In addition to leading opposition to Carlson’s nomination for NHTSA administrator, Cruz introduced a resolution alongside Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., in September which would have effectively defunded Carlson.
Cruz has argued that Carlson maintaining her position as acting administrator violated the Federal Vacancies Reform Act which prohibits “any person who has been nominated to fill any vacant office from performing that office’s duties in an acting capacity.” He noted the provision and the fact that Carlson did not serve in the position of first assistant to the previous NHTSA chief for more than 90 days before he resigned, precluded her from her current position.
“President Biden’s illegal appointment of Ann Carlson, who was effectively rejected by the Senate due to concerns about her extreme agenda and radical record, will only yield more mandates, higher costs for families and a less vibrant economy,” Cruz said in September.
Thank God for Cruz. So, this Ann Carlson brainless idiot is the one that was causing all the ev fury!!! Good bye moron, may all the other brainless Biden illegally appointed morons be REMOVED as well including Biden!!!
He will replace her with someone completely unqualified who checks all the right blocks (black, female, trans, gay – because THAT’S what is important, right?!!). Not that an environmental lawyer is qualified, either. The “green energy” push is impractical, unrealistic, and impossible to achieve. Yes, impossible! I’ve just completed post-grad studies in forestry & conservation. I am here to tell you that there is no imminent climate emergency (which anyone with common sense can see), it is nothing but a rouse by the left to create panic amongst the commoners, while they make ridiculous unrealistic changes to energy policies – without even having a plan in place as to how they will get energy if they take away our current energy sources. EVs are not environmentally friendly, neither is wind or hydropower. Natural gas and nuclear power are two of the cleanest forms of energy, but they want you to be ignorant, uninformed, & to be scared. Our govt is great at deceiving people & democrats fall for it every time.
Thank you, Leslie, for that! I think a lot of people think the same way. I know that I do!
Thank you for writing this article of comment and congratulations on your graduation.
But according to braindead brandon and the other adrenochrome junkies, if we peasants pay trillions of dollars in taxes, that will make the weather cooperate. If they were actually concerned about the climate, then why not just turn off all the HAARP arrays that’s heating up the ionosphere and modifying the weather. There are actually international laws forbidding using weather modification, but the U.S. ignores it because they have to force us to have bad weather to convince the stupid democrap sheep that we’re too much of a burden on the planet so anyone with less than $10,000,000 in the bank should just die.
Our laws are useless. Biden doesn’t follow them. Even when the supreme court hands down a decision he does what he wants anyway. Even the agencies like the FBI just tell congress who is supposed to be their oversight to screw off. Hunter isn’t in trouble for ignoring his subpoena. The system is useless. Why are we waiting to react? Can’t imagine what it will be like in another year.
we need street justice