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hatrack

(59,574 posts)
Sat May 30, 2020, 08:13 AM May 2020

Nearly Two Dozen States Suing Shitstain Over MPG Rollback (Ford, VW, Honda, BMW In Support)

Led by California, nearly two dozen states sued the Trump administration on Wednesday over its reversal of fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks, arguing that the move is based on erroneous science, and endangers public health. The lawsuit escalates a standoff between President Trump, who has moved to undo a long list of environmental regulations since taking office, and a coalition of Democratic states, which have gone to court to stop him.

President Trump’s attempt to weaken future fuel economy standards — undoing what would have been the single biggest effort by the United States to fight the climate crisis — has been especially contentious and messy. Mr. Trump has called the rollback the crowning deregulatory achievement of his tenure, a move that he has said will save lives, lift the economy and help the auto industry.

Yet the auto industry itself has been split over the measure, which would weaken a 2012 standard that would have required automakers to improve the average fuel economy of cars and trucks to about 54 miles per gallon by 2025. The new standards set forth by the Trump administration only require automakers to improve their average fleetwide fuel economy to 40 miles per gallon.

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents major automakers including General Motors and Toyota, is defending the rollback. But four of their peers — Ford, Honda, BMW and Volkswagen — have split from the pack, declaring that they will continue to follow the lead of California and 13 other states that are upholding tougher standards than those set by the federal government. The battle is widely expected to reach the Supreme Court.

EDIT

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/27/climate/lawsuit-fuel-economy-climate.html

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