Business news in brief

By The Associated Press

U.S. retreats from massive air bag recall

DETROIT | U.S. safety regulators have backed away from seeking a recall of nearly 50 million air bag inflators. They will instead investigate further after the auto industry raised questions about whether all the inflators are defective.

The move by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is different from a decision reiterated in July that the inflators made by ARC Automotive should be recalled. The agency has said inflators in about 49 million vehicles are at risk of exploding and hurling shrapnel into drivers and passengers. They’re responsible for at least seven injuries and two deaths in the U.S. and Canada.

EPA grants California authority to ban sales of new gas cars by 2035

WASHINGTON | The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday granted two requests from California to enforce strict standards for vehicle emissions, including a rule aimed at banning sales of new gasoline-powered cars in the state by 2035. The incoming Trump administration is likely to try to reverse the action.

The California rule is stricter than a federal rule adopted this year that tightens emissions standards but does not require sales of electric vehicles.

EPA said its review found that opponents of the two waivers did not meet their legal burden to show how either the EV rule or a separate measure on heavy-duty vehicles was inconsistent with the federal Clean Air Act.

Report: Effort to curb China’s, Russia’s access to advanced computer chips ‘inadequate’

WASHINGTON | The U.S. Commerce Department’s efforts to curb China’s and Russia’s access to American-made advanced computer chips have been “inadequate” and will need more funding to stymie their ability to manufacture advanced weapons. That’s according to a report published Wednesday by the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

The Biden administration imposed export controls to limit China and Russia’s ability to access U.S.-made chips after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago. The call for bolstering Commerce’s export control enforcement comes as the incoming Trump administration says it is looking to dramatically reduce the size of federal government.

—From AP reports