EPA revised final determination says standards are “wrong” and “too high”

Washington (April 2, 2018) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee and Chair of the Senate Climate Task Force, released the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a revised so-called final determination that would relax standards requiring automakers to reduce emissions for model year 2022-2025 cars and light trucks. In January 2017, the Obama Administration EPA issued a final determination that these fuel economy emissions standards were feasible and achievable and should stay in place. The Obama administration’s historic 54.5 mpg standard was partially enabled by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which included fuel economy standards co-authored by Senator Markey when he was in the House of Representatives.

“The Trump administration’s decision to roll back our fuel economy standards is an attack on American consumers, our national security and dependence on foreign oil, the competitiveness of the U.S. auto industry and our planet,” said Senator Markey. “These standards are technically feasible and economically achievable. Trying to slam the breaks on these standards isn’t just unwarranted, it’s unbelievable.”

“Slashing these standards would amount to turning the keys to our energy policy over to Big Oil and the auto industry. I will use every legislative tool available to me in the Senate to block the Trump administration’s attempts to gut these standards that benefit consumers, our security and our planet.”

In December 2017, Senator Markey, Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) led a group of 24 Senators in calling on the EPA to not weaken light-duty vehicle emissions standards for model 2022-2025 and strenuously objecting to revisiting emissions standards for model year 2021, which were never supposed to be part of the EPA’s midterm evaluation.

These standards are projected to save nearly 2.5 million barrels of oil a day by 2030 – around as much oil as we currently import from OPEC countries every day-- save consumers over $1 trillion and reduce global warming pollution by 6 billion metric tons. Since reaching an historic agreement with the Obama administration and state leaders, the auto industry has gone from the brink of economic disaster to record auto sales in 2015 and 2016, including adding 700,000 U.S. jobs.

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