The Trump administration Tuesday rolled back tough Obama-era gas mileage standards for cars and light trucks, saying it will improve highway safety and protect the environment.
Opponents say the rollback will mean dirtier air for everyone.
“Great news! American families will now be able to buy safer, more affordable, and environmentally friendly cars with our new safe vehicle rules,” Trump tweeted. “Get rid of those old, unsafe clunkers. Build better and safer American cars and create American jobs. Buy American!”
Environmental Protection Agency chief Andrew Wheeler said the new policy “puts in place a sensible national program that strikes the right regulatory balance, that protects our environment and sets reasonable targets for the auto industry. This rule supports our economy, and the safety of American families."
President Barack Obama mandated U.S. carmakers to improve fuel efficiency by 5% a year over five years, saying it would save gasoline and reduce greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming.
It was a centerpiece of Obama’s efforts to fight climate change. It also encouraged car makers to build more electric cars and fuel-efficient diesel cars.
The new Trump rules cut the fuel-efficiency standards from 5% to 1.5% a year, arguing that car companies were struggling to meet the Obama standards. The Trump administration also says the new rules will make U.S. cars cheaper, bigger and safer while still enforcing clean air standards.
“We've seen all too terribly the consequences of those who denied warnings of a pandemic. We can't afford any more consequences of climate denial,” Obama tweeted.
We've seen all too terribly the consequences of those who denied warnings of a pandemic. We can't afford any more consequences of climate denial. All of us, especially young people, have to demand better of our government at every level and vote this fall. https://t.co/K8Ucu7iVDK
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 31, 2020
Some major car manufacturers backed the Obama rules, and several states, including California, plan to challenge the Trump administration in court.
Sen. Tom Carper, the top Democrat on the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee, called the action “the height of irresponsibility for this administration to finalize a rollback that will lead to dirtier air while our country is working around the clock to respond to a respiratory pandemic whose effects may be exacerbated by air pollution.”
But the EPA says all new cars must adhere to the “strict pollution standards of the Clean Air Act” and will get older cars that do not meet those standards off the road
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao says the average car on U.S. highways is 12 years old. Under the new rules, Chao says Americans will be driving “newer, safer and cleaner vehicles more accessible for American families. More lives will be saved, and more jobs will be created."