Under questioning from Markey during his confirmation hearing, new EPA Administrator Pruitt affirmed he would “enforce and respect” the endangerment finding and agreed that Supreme Court’s decision is the “law of the land”

Boston (February 23, 2017) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, today released the following statement in response to a letter from the president of the Auto Alliance to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt requesting that the EPA withdraw its vehicle emissions standards for cars and light trucks for model years 2022-2025. 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 then-Rep. Markey. That law included Senator Markey’s language that said the standard must be at least 35 mpg by 2020, and that the “maximum feasible standard” must be set every year. The bill was signed by President George W. Bush in December 2007.

“The EPA’s vehicle fuel economy emissions standards have put American consumers, our economy and our national security in the driver’s seat,” said Senator Markey. “When the United States still imports more than five million barrels of oil a day from foreign nations, including more than three million barrels a day from OPEC countries, continuing to increase the fuel efficiency of our nation’s vehicles is critical to enhancing our economic and national security. These fuel economy standards not only provide massive savings for American consumers but also certainty for the automotive industry. The technologies to meet these standards are economically feasible and technologically achievable. The EPA standards should remain in place to allow us to continue making progress in building a vehicle fleet that is climate- and consumer-friendly.” 

During Administrator Pruitt’s confirmation hearing in the EPW Committee, Senator Markey asked whether Mr. Pruitt would respect both EPA’s finding that greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles endanger public health and welfare and the Supreme Court’s decision that the EPA must therefore regulate motor vehicle greenhouse gas emissions. Administrator Pruitt said that he would “enforce and respect” the EPA’s endangerment finding and affirmed that the Supreme Court’s decision is the “law of the land.”

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