It appears that the Trump administration is set to roll back the Obama-era standards on greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy rules for cars. In fact, the Times reports that last week EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt gave the White House a 16-page draft proposal to review. This weakening of auto standards is a big win for car manufacturers and a huge “blow to environmentalists.”1
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While President Obama made fighting greenhouse gas emissions and climate change a central focus of his second term in office (a move criticized by Republicans who saw the EPA’s environmental regulations as governmental overreach) President Trump “campaigned on promises to cut back on environmental regulation. And last June, he announced his intention to exit the Paris climate agreement, an international deal the Obama administration had worked to negotiate.”1
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If this change to the rules happens, it will most definitely set the stage for legal battles. For instance, the state of California has already vowed to s, regardless of what Washington decides.
We will update you as more information becomes available.
