Frankly I don't believe that manufacturers would have willingly done a single solitary thing to reduce emissions without the EPA, ever. Developing that technology costs money, and why would you spend money when you can just continue to make what you've always made, the way you've always made it, and rake in the money?
You claim the buying public would have demanded cleaner burning vehicles. I sincerely doubt it. Most people have to directly experience something or they don't believe it exists. A lot of people here don't believe vehicular pollution is a problem because they've never been to a big city before emissions laws. They haven't experienced how awful the air was; it's fine out in the country or the small town where they live, so this whole pollution thing is just a load of hooey.
That said, the EPA is a good idea that has gone too far. There's a point of "good enough" but certain folks in power don't seem to think so. They're just going to keep pushing with the goal of cars running on happy thoughts and farting daisies out the exhaust pipe.
In some respects we've gone too far in the other direction already. Certain types of pollution washed out of the air by rain becomes potash in the soil. Potash is something necessary for proper soil balance, and growing healthy, bountiful crops. Healthy bountiful crops are essential to keeping everyone fed. Now farmers are finding the soil to be deficient of potash due to the excessively clean air, and are having to spread manufactured potash on to maintain soil balance.
What really amazes me is that there isn't enough money in the automotive and energy industries to quash this once and for all. There are lots of industries with vested interests in keeping things as they are or pushing for things to go the other way, yet there doesn't seem to be enough money to get it done?
Putting 10-ply tires on half ton trucks since aught-four.
