"WASHINGTON - The top U.S. auto safety official, a key player in efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to rollback the nation’s vehicle fuel efficiency requirements, will step down at the end of the month, the Transportation Department announced on Monday.
Heidi King, the acting administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), was nominated by Trump to head the agency on a permanent basis but was never confirmed by the Senate, which is controlled by the president’s fellow Republicans. King was appointed as deputy NHTSA administrator in 2017.
Her resignation will take effect on Aug. 31 and she will be replaced as deputy administrator and acting head of the agency by James Owens, the department’s deputy general counsel, the department said. Owens also has been involved in the fuel efficiency regulatory effort. "
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