August 10, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Judith Nemes
EPA Re-Opening Vehicle Pollution Reduction Standards’ Midterm Review Is Misguided & Wastes Taxpayer Money
Repeat review of common sense pollution reduction standards could cost people more at the gas pump, increase pollution harming health, and reduce America’s technological innovation leadership and global competitiveness
Howard Learner, Executive Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center, said in response to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement that it will reopen the midterm review process for the pollution reduction standards that the agency established for vehicle Model Years 2022-2025 in coordination with U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) fuel economy standards:
“The EPA’s misguided decision to reopen the review process is shifting America into reverse and threatens to put U.S. automakers behind in the global competition for cleaner, fuel efficient cars,” Learner said. “The standards EPA and DOT issued in 2012 ensure that America’s cars and light trucks will use less oil and emit fewer greenhouse gases through 2025.
“The EPA’s assessment found that cost-effective technology exists for U.S. automakers to hit the 2025 targets. Keeping the standards will continue to drive innovation, maintain the American auto industry’s competitiveness, and save Americans money at the gas pump.
“If fully implemented, the EPA and DOT’s standards would save families up to $122 billion at the pump, save more than 12 billion barrels of oil and keep 6 billion metric tons of dangerous carbon pollution out of the atmosphere. EPA is now threatening to reverse progress. That moves our nation backwards instead of forwards. That rollback would boost dependence on oil, increase pollution, require more trips to the gas pump and take money away from millions of American families and small businesses.
“The completed review involved a long and thorough process that engaged all stakeholders. Instead of redoing the review process, EPA should confirm the work it completed in 2017 and move forward with DOT to ensure that standards stay strong through 2025. Taxpayer money would be better spent focusing on ensuring continued progress beyond 2025.”