Rivian’s Future Plans, Real-Deal Honda SUV, John Deere Blues, EPA Nixes Human Factor

A lot changes when technology grows faster than the rules. We kick off with Rivian’s survival playbook—why the R2’s push for affordability, a delayed Georgia plant, and an in-house autonomy stack paired with subscriptions might keep the lights on if pure EV sales stumble. We weigh what “hands-free” really means when drivers still bear legal liability, and where a custom processor and point-to-point features promise value but raise hard questions about responsibility and price.

From there, we get tactile with a full review of the 2026 Honda Passport Trailsport. Bold on the outside, calm on the inside, it pairs a 3.5L V6 and a 10-speed with drive modes that match real conditions, not marketing. The tire choice matters: General Grabber ATs on 18-inch wheels show this SUV is built for real trails and budgets, not just show. With 5,000 pounds of towing and a cavernous cargo hold, it delivers confidence and utility—though we call out fuel economy that should be better. It’s a case study in where rugged meets reasonable.

Then we head to the field, where a $900,000 combine goes silent due to a software lockout as a storm rolls in. John Deere’s precision agriculture tools can slash input costs with plant-by-plant accuracy, yet centralized control can trap farmers at a critical moment. That tension feeds the broader right-to-repair fight across industries, from tractors to EVs. Ownership should include access to fix urgent failures, transparent diagnostics, and timely remote resets when minutes matter.

We close by examining a proposed EPA shift that would stop counting key health benefits—such as avoided asthma attacks and premature deaths—when regulating fine particulate matter and ozone. Change the math and you change the outcome: weaker protections, dirtier air, and heavier burdens on communities near industrial sites. Methodologies can evolve, but zeroing out human life is not progress. Technology should reduce harm; policy should measure it honestly.

If you value straight talk on where mobility, machinery, and policy collide, hit follow, share this episode with a friend who loves cars or cares about clean air, and leave us a review with your take on right to repair and driver-assist liability. Your feedback shapes what we explore next on The TechMobility Show. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:07

Welcome to the Tech Mobility Podcast. Brought to you by Playbook Investors Network. Your strategic partner for unstoppable growth.

Rivian’s Strategy Beyond Cars

SPEAKER_02 0:15

Visit pincommunity.org to get started. I'm Ken Chester. On the Docket, my impressions and review of the 2026 Honda Passport Transport, John Deere, The Future, or a Cage, and the EPA Changes Pollution Rulemaking. To join the conversation, be it to ask a question, share an opinion, or even suggest an idea for future discussion, call or text the Tech Mobility Ontline, that number, 872-222-9793, or you can email the show directly. Talk at TechMobility.show. From the Tech Mobility News Desk. I haven't talked about Rivion in a while, and I thought it'd be a good idea to kind of bring you up to date because if we go back to last year, there was a big hoopla about the future of pure EV manufacturers with the end of the subsidies, with the end of the government assistance. Oh my goodness, are they going to survive? Are they going to fail? They're going to roll up and die. The short answer is no. Looking at Rivion, they have a survival plan that involves more than cars. Okay, that makes sense. So what are they doing? Well, for one thing, Rivion is already more than a car company. And we've kind of alluded to some of their ventures over the past year, but let's bring this into focus for you. They're clearly building out other revenue-generating products. They are. Before I get to that, let me back up a minute. They are coming out with a smaller vehicle that they're building right there in normal, Illinois, called the R2. The R2 is going to cost less than their R1 or the R3, which they're coming out with. And here's the purpose: they want to get into the mainstream affordability. They want to be below 50 grand. They want to be in that sweet spot of around$30,000. And they believe through their belt tightening and tight engineering, they can pull it off. Now they put off building a plant in Georgia. They didn't cancel it, they delayed it. Because the R2 was originally supposed to be built there. But they figured out a way to launch the R2 from normal. And they will, I mean, the Georgia plant, when they get it built, will get the R2, but right now they're going to launch it from there, which makes total sense. Make the most of your existing footprint. Get the most volume out of your existing factories. So it they are as efficient as they possibly can be. And that is regardless of whether you're building gasoline-powered cars, electric cars, or widgets. It don't matter. Efficiency is the plan. Another one thing that they're doing is advanced driver assistance systems. Rivion's hands-free version of its driver assistance software, which today can be used at about 135,000 miles of road, will expand to 3.5 million miles and include surface streets. This expanded capability, which will launch early this year and eventually include point-to-point, hands-free, but eyes on, automated driving comes at a cost of$2,500 or$49.99 a month. Let's stop for a minute. What they're talking about. You heard me say point-to-point, hands-free but eyes on. Yeah, it's sort of fully autonomous, but again, because of the way the laws are written in the United States and the fact we do not have and we don't laws nationally regarding autonomous driving. The driver in every state of the Union is still responsible if they're behind the wheel, regardless of how that vehicle is propelled. So we're clear. Meaning, even if the vehicle is driving itself, the ultimate responsibility is the driver who needs to be prepared to take over at a moment's notice if the system says take over. Even Tesla systems will tell you that the driver is ultimately responsible. Because right now, that is the way the laws are written. They have not been changed and autonomy has not been addressed nationally. Not as far as liability and responsibility are concerned. That hasn't happened yet. So then begs the question if this does not do for me, if I'm still responsible, if I, then what is the advantage of hands-free if I guess still be looking at the road? That's the question I got. And do I want to pay$50 a month for the privilege? Then there's the future hands-off, eyes off system. Rivion revealed that it has developed its own custom processor, which it says will be built in collaboration with the two leading uh chipmakers in the world. That chip will power Rivion's autonomy computer, the backbone of an upgraded automated driving system that will debut in the R2 late this year. Again, I say the challenge we got right here, people, is no cohesive national guidelines. So here's the question. If you were to buy a Rivion R2 in December of this year with their upgraded automated driving system, which they're calling hands-off eyes off, meaning the car takes total responsibility, but remember in most states, laws have not changed alleviating you from responsibility if the system fails or screws up. Again, would you want to be in a situation like that? I don't think so. They did mention it'd be an upcharge, but Rivion didn't say if it would be more than the initial$2,500 fee. Another thing Rivion's looking at doing, licensing its tech to others. Because after all, Rivion already has a joint venture with Volkswagen to share its electrical architecture and base level software. And Rivion spun out two startups this year, also, which is a mobility startup, and Mind Robotics, which is an industrial AI and robotics startup. And bear in mind, they still own minority stakes of both those companies. Subsequent discussions reiterated hopes and potential for Rivion to license its whole A V platform or just components like its custom processor. We'll see. It's gonna depend on what the market does. But Rivion is taking, looking at ways to leverage what it already knows and what it's already invested. And remember, one of the first companies to invest in Rivion was Amazon. They are building Amazon EV delivery vans. They got a contract for 100,000 of them. They're still building those in addition to their retail business. They've teamed up with ATT for telematic software. So they're all about the joint venture, and they're gonna look for ways to um leverage what they already know, which makes total sense to me. Absolutely. So as they bring this to market, and you wonder, will Rivion be one of the survivors, like Tesla, like a few others? Right now I would vote yes because of the way that they're going and the fact that they've got Ford, Amazon, and Volkswagen who wrote very big billion-dollar plus checks to make sure that Rivion's gonna be okay. Lucid's gonna be okay too, because the sovereign fund of Saudi Arabia wrote them uh a several billion dollar check. So these companies that will survive will be backstopped by capital as they look to diversify as this all sorts itself out. And bear in mind, they're still going forward with vehicle development and new vehicle products. So they haven't thrown the towel in, but neither is General Motors. They're still building EV trucks and EV SUVs. They're still building the Blazer EV, they're still building the Equinox EV, they're still building the Silverado EV, and they're still building uh the Sierra EV. They're still in production. So the bottom line is EVs may be down, but they're not out. And the major players are gonna look for ways to leverage what they know so they can remain in business because it's not always gonna be that way. Because remember, this is a global economy. Don't think that just because of what's going on here in America is gonna handicap any of these folks. It's not. The passport was Honda's first SUV offering over 30 years ago. My impressions and reviewer next. You are listening to the Tech Mobility Show.

SPEAKER_00 10:08

In business, opportunity doesn't wait, and neither should you. At Playbook Investors Network, we connect visionary entrepreneurs with the strategies, resources, and capital they need to win. Whether you're launching, scaling, or reimagining your business, our network turns ambition into measurable success. Your vision deserves more than a plan, it deserves a playbook that works. Playbook Investors Network, where bold ideas meet bold results. Visit pincommunity.org today.

SPEAKER_01 10:40

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SPEAKER_02 11:13

To learn more about the Tech Mobility Show, start by visiting our website. I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. The website is a treasure trove of information about me and the show, as well as where to find it on the radio across the country. Keep up with the happenings at the Tech Mobility Show by visiting Techmobility.show. You can also drop us a line at talk at Techmobility.show.

SPEAKER_00 11:38

Every great business starts with a spark, but taking it to the next level takes strategy, connections, and capital. That's where Playbook Investors Network comes in. We're your strategic partner for accelerating growth, navigating challenges, and capturing market opportunities before your competition does. Your business is more than an idea. Let's make it an impact. Playbook Investors Network. Your future starts here. Learn more at pincommunity.org.

SPEAKER_03 12:22

Three spacious rows seated. It's very refined. Introducing the two hundred and forty horsepower pilot. Built by Honda.

2026 Honda Passport Trailsport - Impressions & Review

SPEAKER_02 12:42

That would be uh one of the earliest uh SUVs that Honda actually built. And actually not its first one. We're gonna talk about the first one that they market in the minute, but the pilot is actually one of their largest. It's been around, oh my, it's been around over 20, 25 years now. Yeah. And has gradually evolved over that. But that's not the one we're gonna talk about today. We're gonna actually talk about Honda's first foray into the SUV market. And here's a fun fact: the original SUV that Honda actually sold through their dealers was not built by Honda. Let me explain. The Honda Passport, which is what we're talking about today, and it's the vehicle I was talking about back then, is a line of mid-sized SUVs that debuted in the North American marketplace in 1993. The first generation passport was actually a rebadged version of the Azuzu Rodeo, Honda's first SUV offering in the marketplace that it sold until 2002. Let me stop right there. Honda has this reputation that they will joint venture into a new market with somebody to mitigate their upfront expenses as they learn the market. When they feel they get a handle on it and that they could build something of superior quality, then they will lead that joint venture to market their own Honda engineered, Honda designed vehicle. And that's pretty much any market segment that Honda's been in. It has always been their approach. Still is their approach. Here's the thing Honda discontinued selling the passport in 2002. In 2003, they actually replaced it at that time with the Honda built and designed a pilot. Fast forward almost 20 years. In 2018, the automaker announced the return of the passport. But this time it's a Honda built two-row mid-size crossover SUV. But here's the difference it's not replacing anything. They're gonna slot it, or they slotted it, between the CRV and the larger pilot. But here's the fun part both the pilot and the passport are built at the automaker's manufacturing plant in Lincoln, Alabama. The passport came back into the marketplace as a 2019 model. Available now in three trim levels, the passport is all new for the 2026 model year. Now, in its fourth generation, the Passport Xeria design is based on the Born Wild concept with a bold pack-pack theme design. It features an LED DRL lighting signature that includes amber lighting for its trail sport model, an increased dash to axle ratio with a shorter front ogre hang, increased ground clearance with improved approach angle, all terrain tires, a unique suspension tune for off-road driving, front orange heavy-duty recovery hooks, steel skid plates for underbody protection, and passport is embossed both on the front fascia and the rear tailgate. The rear roof section features a unique matte black finish, and the car's antenna is now integrated into the passenger side rear glass, replacing the shark fin style roof antenna. As you may have guessed, this review is specifically about the Passport Trail Sport model. Power for the Trail Sport is generated by the Automaker's tried and true 3.5 liter V6 gasoline engine that makes 285 horsepower and delivers 262 foot pounds of torque. Energy is communicated to all four wheels via 10-speed automatic transmission with trail logic. Trail torque logic, excuse me. Drive mode options are available to the driver via an on-manned toggle switch in the center console. Drive modes include sport, normal, econ, snow, trail, sand, and tow. In other words, this thing's ready for anything. EPA fuel economy is 18 city, 23 highway. Cargo capacity is an impressive 104.4 cubic feet. That's 104.4 cubic feet. Towing capacity is also impressive for its size at 5,000 pounds. Here's what I liked about the passport trailsport. Honda makes no apologies when it comes to the SUV's rugged, in-your-face exterior styling. Meanwhile, I found the inside passenger cabin to be stylish, tasteful, and understated, with seat design adding some extra spice to the presentation. The driver enjoys a good outward view of the road with push-button gear selection and steering wheel mounted paddle shifters for manual control. When underway, the passport trailsport is smooth, solid, and silent. And I gotta take my hat off to salute Honda when it comes to the tire choice for the trailsport. The made in USA General Grabber AT all-terrain sport tires are the real deal for off-roading performance. Let me stop right there. Typically, tires on an original equipment manufactured vehicle from the assembly plant usually goes to the most rubber we can get for the lowest bidder as possible. Meaning you've got a compromise tire brand new. Not this time, not this case. There are a few automakers that get it that if you're going to sell me an off-road capable vehicle, that it should come shod with off-road capable tires. Otherwise, I'm wasting my money because the tires can't deliver on what the vehicle is capable of doing. So again, Honda, thank you for that. The compact spare tire is still accessible from inside the vehicle under the cargo area floor. Y'all know how I feel about that. I love that part. Again, thank you, Honda. Also, kudos to a realistic 18-inch tire as opposed to the much more expensive 20-inch plus tires often found in other SUVs. You're giving me a tire not only is rugged, off-road, but I can actually afford to replace. Because when you get 20, 21, 22, 24-inch tires that I've seen and I've written about, those get expensive really fast. And not everybody has the capability to repair them, much less have them in stock. 18-inch tires, yeah. If I blow one of these, chances are the local dealer's got one or can get one pretty quick. I'm all glad about that. On and off road, performance capable and driver inspiring. I actually felt safe behind the wheel, and that's not saying I don't feel safe in other vehicles, but this just had that little extra that made me feel really safe. Displays, control, and switch gear are user-friendly, and I got one word. Fog lights. Fog lights. I love my fog lights. Wide rear opening doors, or I'm sorry, wide opening rear doors facilitate entry and exit. The cargo area is cavernous. Here's what I don't like, really quick. I thought with all the technology available to automakers with respect to fuel economy, the numbers would be better. Sorry. Thought so. Let me get down to this. The base manufacturer suggested retail price for the 2026 Honda Passport Transport starts for$48,450. Destination charges add$1,450. I love this vehicle, has a few things I'm not crazy about, but for the price point and what Honda is able to do, I think it is a worthy competitor. It is that good. Is modern-day John Deere equipment the future or a cage for today's farmers? This is the Tech Mobility Show.

SPEAKER_00 21:12

Now you need the right partner to make it happen. At Playbook Investors Network, we power ambitious leaders with the tools, insight, and investment connections to move faster, grow stronger, and lead markets. We're more than advisors, we're your co-pilots in success. Because in business, standing still is not an option. Playbook Investors Network, fueling ambition, delivering results. Visit pincommunity.org.

John Deere Blues

SPEAKER_02 21:41

Did you know that Tech Mobility has a YouTube channel? Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. Each week, I upload a few short videos of some of the hot topics that I cover during my weekly radio program. I've designed these videos to be informative and entertaining. It's another way to keep up on current mobility and technology news. And information. Be sure to watch, like, and subscribe to my channel. That's the Tech Mobility Show on YouTube. Check it out. John Deere, that 187-year-old farm implement giant that you see almost everywhere here in the upper Midwest. The late country singer Joe Diffie even sang a tune about the color John Deere Green. From implements, tractors, and combines, the company has developed into a lifeline for many farmers. Its activities to modernize agriculture in general and impact the lives of family farmers in particular is the blessing and the curse of evolving technology. This is topic B. I ran across an article. And it talked about one particular farmer who owned a$900,000 combine. And he was racing against the weather. He figured he had 40 minutes to get what was left in the field in the combine and make it. He figured he could do it. He figured the rain would be there in 50. He figured he got this down. Problem is his combine threw a code and the software locked him out. So his$900,000 combine is just sitting there. When he reached out to John Deere, he said, I know how to change the sensor. I've changed the sensor. I just need somebody to send a reset so that I can start using my tractor again. John Deere said, Hey, guess what? No, we need to send somebody out there. It's$130 an hour. And oh, by the way, we're booked for the next couple of weeks. Fortunately for this farmer, he still had a 2004 piece of equipment that he brought out, was able to get started, get out there, and get his crop in. The problem is very simple. When it's harvest time, it's harvest time. Weather doesn't care whether your equipment runs or not. If you don't get the crop in before the weather turns, you could be out tens of thousands of dollars. Leaving crop in the field beyond the time you're supposed to harvest it is not an option. On the one hand, John Deere has reinvented the farming experience. I mean, GPS combines that literally steer themselves that all you got to do is turn them around at the end of the uh of the uh crop row. They tell you in real time, moisture quantity uh yield per acre in real time, everything that's going on. So there's a lot of information that the farmer now has access to that's all rolled together to help them be all they can be, if you will. The problem is, in doing all that, they have become beholden to John Deere. The culprit is a piece of software called My John Deere. And what John Deere did is basically take all this information that was gener being generated from farmer's equipment and put it there. Also invited third-party seed companies, agronomist, um, fertilizer companies to build applications that are integrated into myjohndeere.com, and then everybody gets in for free. That makes the farmer even more beholden to John Deere. But here's the problem this man paid nine hundred thousand dollars for a combine he couldn't fix. John Deere had locked him out. So here's the question: You pay all that money, do you really own the piece of equipment you bought? Thirty years ago, the answer was yes. Today, not so much. And you might be thinking, Can I'm not a farmer, I could care less. Well, guess what? It ain't just restricted to farming. Tesla has been raked over the coals by the government for a while now for doing the very same restrictive things if somebody wants to fix their Tesla, they have the know-how, or they have an independent garage that has the know-how, Tesla will not give them the manuals, Tesla will not sell them the tools, Tesla will not sell them the parts. That's it. Nuh-uh. Can't touch it. This fight, and we've recorded, we've talked about this fight before. It's called the right to repair. If I've paid for it, I own it, how come I can't fix it? How come I can't take it to anybody I want to fix it? Particularly if it's outside of quote unquote warranty. Shouldn't be this way. You pay all of that money, yet you can't, you don't have any control to straighten something out that in his case should have taken five minutes. And if Deere wasn't so restrictive for a price, they could have had one of their technicians send a code. Oh no. We gotta have somebody come out there and verify, and we're a couple weeks out. Yeah, that doesn't work in farming people. Hey, John Deere knows that. This don't work. If I'm out in the field now, I'm harvesting now and I need my equipment to work now. Not a couple weeks from now, not tomorrow, now. There are whole industries, small businesses in many of these small cities and towns. They're on demand. If you are a diesel mechanic during harvest season, you're on call. If you're a welder that specializes in farm equipment, you're on call and you probably have a mobile rig that you can go where the farmer is because he needs it now. Why would John Deere build such a thing to put farmers who are time sensitive against the wall like that? Think about that for a minute. Five years ago, Stillantis bragged to Wall Street that software subscriptions would be a major part of their business, and I believe the number they quoted by 2030 was$25 billion, not million, billion with a B for services. GM was thinking the same thing. Here's the problem if I owned the vehicle and I bought the vehicle, and I bought the vehicle with these options on it, then I should be able to use them. BMW pulled that stunt a few years ago. They sold some vehicles and they thought that you would pay extra for them to turn on the heated seats during the winter. And the public say that yeah, no. Mm-mm. I bought the car, bought it with heated seats, they work when I want them to work, and I'm not paying you a dime more. I already paid you$50,000, 60,$70,000,$80,000 for the vehicle. There are two sides. In John Deere's defense, if you can say it, they spent billions of dollars to make the farmer incredibly crazy efficient. There's an example in this article where it talks about precision application of herbicide to where once upon a time a farmer had to do the whole field, and now with certain John Deere implements and equipment, the sprayers can be literally plant by plant. And John Deere only charges you for the acres you spray. Input cost in terms of herbicide went down for those farmers by 90%. Imagine now, apply that to fertilizer, apply that to proper seed placement and all of that. You get the cost of the inputs down. So you've got that. But on the flip side, you've got equipment you don't have access to. And I think for certain things that are like that, particularly sensors and things, yeah, they could do better. Farmers shouldn't have to be jammed up like that over something that minor and can't fix it, can't replace it, and got to wait. That does not work in farming. Particularly during harvest season or planting season. It does not work. And John Deere knows that. Which is why certain states have sued John Deere for that. John Deere should have the right to make a profit, but farmers should have a right to fix their equipment. Proposed EPA regulations say lives don't count when settling pollution rules. We are the Tech Mobility Show.

SPEAKER_01 31:07

Are you tired of jumping multiple apps and platforms for meetings, webinars, and staying connected? Look no further than AON Meetings.com, the all-in-one browser-based platform that does it all. With AON Meetings, you can effortlessly communicate with clients, post virtual meetings and webinars, and stay in touch with family and friends, all in one place and for one price. Here's the best part. You can enjoy a 30-day free trial. It's time to simplify your life and boost your productivity. AON Meetings.com, where innovation meets connection. Get started today and revolutionize the way you communicate.

SPEAKER_02 31:40

To learn more about the Tech Mobility Show, start by visiting our website. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. The website is a treasure trove of information about me and the show, as well as where to find it on the radio across the country. Keep up with the happenings at the Tech Mobility Show by visiting Techmobility.show. That's Techmobility.show. You can also drop us a line at talk at Techmobility.show.

SPEAKER_00 32:10

In business, opportunity doesn't wait, and neither should you. At Playbook Investors Network, we connect visionary entrepreneurs with the strategies, resources, and capital they need to win. Whether you're launching, scaling, or reimagining your business, our network turns ambition into measurable success. Your vision deserves more than a plan. It deserves a playbook that works. Playbook Investors Network, where bold ideas meet bold results. Visit pincommunity.org today.

When Human Life Means Nothing

SPEAKER_02 32:42

Did you know that Tech Mobility has a YouTube channel? Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. Each week, I upload a few short videos of some of the hot topics that I cover during my weekly radio program. I've designed these videos to be informative and entertaining. It's another way to keep up on current mobility and technology news and information. Be sure to watch, like, and subscribe to my channel. That's the Tech Mobility Show on YouTube. Check it out. For decades, the Federal Environmental Protection Agency, better known as the EPA, has calculated the health benefits of reducing air pollution using the cost estimates of avoided asthma attacks and premature deaths to justify clean air rules. Newly proposed rules plan to stop tallying gains from health benefits when regulating industry. This ain't okay. This is topic C. So let me get this straight so we're clear. The EPA is proposing that in making rulings and setting rules regulating industries, that the human cost, the health risks of our vulnerable Americans that may be exposed to this are not even being counted anymore. Their value is zero. Zero. That's gonna make it a lot tougher to hold industries accountable. It's a seismic shift that runs counter to the EPA's mission statement, their own mission statement, which says the agency's core responsibility is to protect human health and the environment. Period, full stop. Human health. It is not to give American capitalism a pass on dirtier air and filthier water. It's not. But the EPA plans to stop tallying gains, in particular, from the health benefits caused by curbing two of the most widely spread deadly air pollutants, fine particulate matter and ozone when regulating industry. Diesel fuel, coal emissions, all that stuff. That little stuff gets into your lungs and causes all kinds of nastiness. The change could make it easier to repeal limits on those pollutants from coal burning power plants, oil refineries, steel mills, and other industrial facilities across the country, emails and documents show. That would most likely lower cost for companies while resulting in dirtier air. Who do you think lives near these plants? Folks that can't afford to live anywhere else. We've been talking about the affordability crisis. It is the homes and the neighborhoods adjacent to these plants, particularly if they're older plants. These neighborhoods have been around for decades. And they're the poor folks. They're the vulnerable folks. Folks can't afford to move. And now, health-wise, can't afford to stay. Uh-uh. New. Fine particulate matter, or PM 2.5, refers to particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream. Ozone is a smog-causing gas that forms when nitrogen dioxide and volatile organic compounds are emitted from power plants, factories, and vehicles and mix in the air on hot sunny days. We were taking a field trip from central Massachusetts down to Boy Scout headquarters in New Brunswick, New Jersey. We stopped for lunch on the New Jersey side at a diner across the river from Manhattan. I will never forget in my entire life when I walked out that restaurant, looked across the river, and saw Manhattan, what I saw. Above the city, maybe a hundred feet above the city, was a thick, discernible, brown, nasty haze. It was thick. You could see it. It was a line. They had a term for it back then. They call it photochemical smog. Photochemical smog has some 400 different chemicals, and that gets changed when it's exposed to sunlight and it's stuffed they don't even know what's in it. Dirtier air has consequences. Previously, the EPA tightened the amount of PM 2.5 that could be emitted by industrial facilities. It's estimated that the rule would prevent up to 4,500 premature deaths and 290,000 lost work days by 2032 alone. For every dollar spent in reducing PM 2.5, the agency said there could be as much as$77 in health benefits. But oh, excuse me, wait a minute, stop. Our health plans are in the toilet, and people can't afford the health plans that they've got. And if you are in rural America, chances of you having a hospital nearby are getting less and less because of diminishing returns of hospital getting funded. Yet, here we are reversing rules and not taking into consideration at all. The proposed rules do not take into consideration at all the value of human life as a result of these regulations or lack of these regulations. Now, to be honest, full disclosure, there is some legitimate concern about how EPA arrives at the numbers for cost benefit. And I'm not saying that there isn't room for improvement. Certainly there is. But to suddenly say that human life has zero value in any cost analysis benefit for a new rule, not to consider it at all. The EPA came into existence 56 years ago. 56. From there came the Clean Air Act of 1970, tightening emissions on automobile emissions, fuel economy standards. Let me help you. Here's hard truth. This is me talking real to you. When it comes to safety, when it comes to pollution, when it comes to confinement, if it doesn't add value to an American business, they typically will whine about it. They don't want to do it. The auto industry has a reputation for this. I grew up in New England during the 1970s. Until you've seen acid rain for real decimating forests and messing up paint jobs on cars, which is what happened when coal emissions from coal plants mixed with the rain became sulfuric acid and rained down, you should walk through some of those forests. And the decimation that happened before the regulations tightened and the coal companies had to get scrubbers to remove that stuff out of what they were emitting. If you're only considering the cost to industry and you're neuring the benefits, then you can't justify any regulations that protect public health, which is the very reason the EPA was set up. There was a time in the United States, prior to 1900, that American business had pretty free reign. The government was laissez-faire, which is hands off. Workers got treated any kind of way, our food was questionable, our water and air polluted, particularly in the cities where these plants were. People didn't have any rights, and people didn't have any protections, and people died young of hideous diseases. We've come a long way since then. I would hate to see us go back to this. Humans are not a cost. We're not worth anything.

SPEAKER_00 41:45

Every great business starts with a spark, but taking it to the next level takes strategy, connections, and capital. That's where Playbook Investors Network comes in. We're your strategic partner for accelerating growth, navigating challenges, and capturing market opportunities before your competition does. Your business is more than an idea. Let's make it an impact. Playbook Investors Network. Your future starts here. Learn more at pincommunity.org.

SPEAKER_02 42:17

To learn more about the Tech Mobility Show, start by visiting our website. I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. The website is a treasure trove of information about me and the show, as well as where to find it on the radio across the country. Keep up with the happenings at the Tech Mobility Show by visiting Techmobility.show. You can also drop us a line at talk at Techmobility.show.

SPEAKER_01 42:42

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