5/1/18
(UPI) -- A coalition of 17 states and the District of Columbia sued the Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday over Trump administration efforts to roll back Obama-era fuel efficiency standards. The move comes one month after EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced plans to revise standards for cars and light trucks. Just before he left office, former President Barack Obama's administration increased the mandatory fuel economy for all domestic vehicles to an average of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. Pruitt called the Obama administration's move politically motivated. But California and 16 other states disagree with the Trump administration. They sued the EPA to preserve the country's single-vehicle emission standard Tuesday. "Enough is enough. We're not looking to pick a fight with the Trump Administration, but when the stakes are this high for our families' health and our economic prosperity, we have a responsibility to do what is necessary to defend them," he said at a news conference announcing the lawsuit.
"The states joining today's lawsuit represent 140 million people who simply want cleaner and more efficient cars," California Gov. Jerry Brown added. "This phalanx of states will defend the nation's clean car standards to boost gas mileage and curb toxic air pollution." Joining California in the lawsuit, which was filed in the District of Columbia, are Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia and the District of Columbia. "Trump's plan to reverse tailpipe pollution standards is a gift to the auto industry that will be paid for with our health," he said in an email to UPI. "As the federal government blows off its most basic duty to protect the American people, we applaud these states for taking up the fight."
