Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Friday 3 august 2018

Trump proposes car-mileage rollback; states sue in protest

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER and they cooked the books to
TOM KRISHER get that result."
WASHINGTON (AP) — Cit- Chet France, an EPA senior
ing safety, the Trump ad- executive until his retire-
ministration on Thursday ment in 2012, called the
proposed rolling back car- administration's contention
mileage standards, back- that the mileage freeze
ing away from years of would cause only a tiny in-
government efforts to cut crease in climate-changing
Americans' trips to the gas exhaust emissions "bogus."
station and reduce un- California Gov. Jerry Brown
healthy, climate-changing said his state "will fight this
tailpipe emissions. stupidity in every conceiv-
If the proposed rule be- able way possible."
comes final, it could roil The Obama administra-
the auto industry as it pre- tion had planned to keep
pares for new model years toughening fuel require-
and weaken one of the ments through 2026, say-
federal government's chief ing those and other regu-
weapons against climate lations on vehicles would
change — regulating emis- save 40,000 lives annually
sions from cars and other In this Aug. 1, 2018, photo, cars on the Grand Central Parkway pass LaGuardia Airport in New York. through cleaner air. That
vehicles. The result, oppo- Associated Press argument remained on the
nents say, will be dirtier air EPA's website Thursday.
and more pollution-related ing further improvement re- sailed it. tion's report on Thursday According to Trump ad-
illness and death. quirements, stakes its case "This has to be absolutely projects that relaxing mile- ministration estimates, the
The proposal itself estimates on consumer choice and one of the most harmful age standards would cost Obama fuel efficiency
it could cost tens of thou- on highway safety claims and dumbest actions that 60,000 auto jobs by 2030. standards would raise the
sands of jobs — auto work- challenged by many trans- the EPA has taken," said Those losses would hit the price of vehicles by an av-
ers who deal with making portation experts. Healey of Massachusetts, estimated 200,000 U.S. jobs erage of $2,340. That would
vehicles more fuel efficient. The administration says one of the attorneys gen- that deal with making ve- price many buyers out of
The administration also waiving requirements for eral from 19 states and the hicles more fuel efficient, the new-vehicle market,
said it wants to revoke an greater fuel efficiency District of Columbia object- said Simon Mui of the Nat- forcing them to drive older,
authority granted to Cali- would make cars and light ing to the change. "It's go- ural Resources Defense less-safe vehicles that pol-
fornia under the half-cen- trucks somewhat more af- ing to cost drivers here and Council. lute more, the administra-
tury-old Clean Air Act to fordable. And that, it said, across the country hun- A Transportation Depart- tion says.
set its own, tougher mile- would get vehicles with the dreds of millions of dollars ment spokesperson called Heidi King, deputy ad-
age standards. California latest technology into the more at the pump." the estimate of job losses ministrator of the National
and 16 other states already hands of consumers more The EPA under President "rough approximations." Highway Traffic Safety Ad-
have filed suit to block any quickly. Barack Obama had pro- Two former EPA mileage of- ministration, said the freeze
change in the fuel efficien- It's got "everything to do posed mileage standards ficials said the administra- would reduce highway
cy rules. with just trying to turn over that gradually would be- tion's proposal departed deaths by 1,000 per year
"The EPA has handed de- the fleet ... and get more come tougher, rising to 36 from years of findings on "by reducing these barri-
cision making over to the clean and safe cars on the miles per gallon in 2025, 10 fuel efficiency, car safe- ers that prevent consum-
fossil fuel lobbyists ... the road," said Bill Wehrum, as- mpg higher than the cur- ty, exhaust emissions and ers from getting into the
flat-Earthers, the climate sistant administrator of the rent requirement. Califor- costs. newer, safer, cleaner, more
change deniers," said Mas- Environmental Protection nia and the automakers "They don't offer any mean- fuel-efficient cars."
sachusetts Attorney Gen- Agency. agreed to the rules in 2012, ingful example of what has But private transporta-
eral Maura Healey. The administration will now setting a single national fuel changed so dramatically" tion experts say there are
The proposal would freeze seek public comment on economy standard. to warrant the reversal, so many factors involved
U.S. mileage standards at its proposal and a range Soon after taking office, said Jeff Alson, who until that the 1,000-lives figure
levels mandated by the of other options, including President Donald Trump this spring was a senior en- is questionable. The af-
Obama administration for leaving the tighter, Obama called for a rollback, urging gineer in the EPA's transpor- fordability argument also
2020, when the new vehicle fuel standards in place. "common sense changes" tation and air quality office. ignores thousands of dol-
fleet will be required to hit Some Republican lawmak- if the mileage requirements "In my opinion the only way lars of saving in fuel costs
an average of 30 miles per ers supported the mileage threatened auto industry they got there was, they for each driver over the life
gallon in real-world driving. freeze, but environmental jobs. knew what kind of results of a car, opponents of the
The proposed change, halt- groups and many states as- However, his administra- they were told to get and rollbacks said.q