The Department of the Treasury has decided to use a consumer-facing fuel economy labeling standard from the Environmental Protection Agency in qualifying clean vehicles for tax benefits as well as manufacturer suggested retail price limitations.

The agency said Friday that it amended its vehicle classification standard in order for consumers to understand and easily access the categories on EPA’s FuelEconomy.gov.

A notice of intent was issued by the Treasury Department on Dec. 29, in anticipation of the clean vehicle tax credit to be implemented at the start of 2023. 

The initial proposal was based on EPA’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy rule, which sets an MSRP cap of $55,000 or $80,000, depending on the automobile type. Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service also issued guidance setting up to $40,000 in tax credits for clean vehicles as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.

The EPA’s consumer-facing standard is meant to ensure equal treatment for crossover cars with similar features. It also expands coverage to include cars that did not previously qualify under the CAFE rule.

The credit applies to vehicles purchased and activated since Jan. 1, provided that they meet the EPA standard and other clean vehicle tax subsidy requirements. Cars that qualified in the previous version of the standard are still eligible.

The Department of Defense has restricted the operations of a subset of V-22 Ospreys due to safety concerns relating to the aircraft’s input quill assembly.

DOD did not disclose how many V-22s across the U.S. Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy are affected by the time limit but noted that aircraft will return to flight status once the component is replaced, USMC said Thursday. 

In a fleet bulletin, the military branches announced that the recommendation to ground the tiltrotor was based on ongoing engineering analysis on hard clutch engagement events, which have been increasingly occurring across the fleet.

Hard clutch engagements happen “when the clutch, driven by the engine, releases from the rotor system and suddenly reengages.” 

These events cause aircraft to lurch, potentially causing damage to the plane.

The fleet bulletin was released based on the recommendation from the V-22 Joint Program Office.

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., announced Thursday that he has reintroduced the Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains Act together with Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.

The bill, which passed in Senate in June, would authorize the Department of Commerce’s SelectUSA program to devise investment strategies for domestic semiconductor manufacturing and supply chains.

If signed into law, the legislation would mandate SelectUSA to collaborate with state-level economic development groups and federal agencies to identify gaps and challenges in attracting foreign investments in chip manufacturing. The program will then develop solutions to those obstacles.

“We need to build on the CHIPS and Science Act to continue advancing efforts that will lower the cost of goods and strengthen our economic competitiveness, supply chains and national security,” said Peters, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. “That’s why I’m reintroducing this bipartisan bill that would do just that by encouraging investment in U.S. semiconductor manufacturers as well as their suppliers – lessening our dependence on foreign producers for these critical technologies and creating good-paying jobs here at home.”