Trump’s EPA To Rollback Auto Emission Standards

When Richard Nixon formed the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970, its purpose was to protect human health and the environment.  Now, nearly five decades later, the EPA’s mandate suddenly seems at odds with the reality of the Trump administration.  EPA administrator Scott Pruitt, long a climate change denier,  will soon announce environmental rollbacks on auto emission standards that were implemented during the Obama era to help keep the air clean.

From The New York Times:

• “The Trump administration is expected to launch an effort in coming days to weaken greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy standards for automobiles, handing a victory to car manufacturers and giving them ammunition to potentially roll back industry standards worldwide.”
• “The move — which undercuts one of President Barack Obama’s signature efforts to fight climate change — would also propel the Trump administration toward a courtroom clash with California, which has vowed to stick with the stricter rules even if Washington rolls back federal standards.”

Under rules drafted by the Obama administration and California, gas mileage in cars and SUVs would rise to 55 miles per gallon by 2025.  That was the plan.  Now, much to the delight of the auto industry, those standards will be rolled back.  California is preparing for all-out war with the EPA.

“We are not going to go backward.  We are not interested in a race to the bottom…. We are prepared to take whatever action, legal or otherwise, we have to to protect our health and our economy.”–California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra to The L.A. Times