EPA plans to end California's fuel economy waiver despite Pruitt's claims to the contrary

[riversedge]

Source: thinkprogress




Pruitt told lawmakers on Capitol Hill that the EPA didn't have plans "at present" to go after California's waiver.
Natasha Geiling

Apr 27, 2018, 3:06 pm


Just one day after Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt told lawmakers on Capitol Hill that the agency did not have plans “at present” to target California’s special fuel economy waiver, the Trump administration announced that it would be putting a six-year hold on Obama-era standards for fuel efficiency, starting in 2020, while at the same time revoking California’s waiver to set its own standards.

The move undercuts the Obama administration’s attempt to reign in carbon emissions from the transportation sector, and tees up a fight between the federal government and a state that has challenged Trump’s deregulatory agenda at nearly every turn.


According to the Los Angeles Times, the EPA plans to submit a draft for fuel economy targets to the White House within the next few days. Pruitt had previously announced that the agency was reconsidering the Obama administration’s fuel economy standards, which dictate how much a car can emit.


The EPA administrator had previously hinted at the possibility that the EPA could revoke California’s fuel economy waiver, which allows the state to set its own, more stringent requirements for vehicles. But during Thursday morning’s hearing, Pruitt told lawmakers that the EPA was not “at present” planning to challenge California’s waiver.
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Read more: https://thinkprogress.org/epa-end-california-waiver-freeze-fuel-economy-standards-2020-ea5ac66b8fed/

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Well, it has Obama's name on it, so trump will go after it.

Link to tweet

[Sophia4]

1. California's air quality problems are due to our geography.

The ocean air drives in from -- the ocean.

Logical isn't it.

But, not that far from our West coast from which most of our winds blow, we have a range of mountains -- the Sierras. In addition, we have other mountain ranges such as the Los Angeles mountains.

The ocean air blows up against those mountains and heavily polluted air accumulates above the land in between. And that's just the beginning of our air pollution problems.

So we have special air quality rules because we have an unusually difficult air quality problem on top of the problems that arise from a huge population between the ocean and the mountains.

The EPA and Pruitt need to let California control its own air quality. What a bunch.

[The Mouth]

2. It doesn't matter.

By the time Cheeto Benito gets through with the EPA there won't be ANY standards for anything, anywhere.

[TranssexualKaren]

3. Tell me if this doesn't sound like an empire in decline....

1. We Bail out the auto industry with strong recommendation that make investments in their long term profitability.
2. They bribe the powers that be within the political system to get around this responsibility, providing themselves with short term gain.
3. Nobody in the world wants to buy cars that are so fuel inefficient.
4. We have to bail out the auto industry again....wash, rinse and repeat...

[yonder]

4. yeah, but "States rights and local control" - not so much, when it suits them. nt

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

5. They don't learn. We Californians don't give a f*ck about what the rest of the country thinks.

Our economy is bigger than most countries, we lead the world in tech research, in L.A. we can surf and ski in the same day, and our girls look better in bikinis (no offense to Montana girls, of course).

When Bush and Cheney tried to screw us into building new coal-fired power plants, the state went into conservation mode and reduced electricity consumption by 10% -- more than a new power plant would generate.

We'll fight Trump and his band of miscreants at every turn, and we'll win. We're on the right side of history and they're not.