Heightening
the tension between the administration of US President Donald Trump and the
State of California, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Scott Pruitt
is expected to announce the completion of a Midterm Evaluation (MTE) process
for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for cars and light trucks for
2022-2025 models.
Pruitt is
expected to reveal that in light of recent data, the current standards are not
appropriate and should be revised, the EPA said in a press release on April 2.
“The Obama
Administration’s determination was wrong,” Pruitt said in the press release.
“Obama’s EPA cut the Midterm Evaluation process short with politically charged
expediency, made assumptions about the standards that didn’t comport with
reality, and set the standards too high,” Pruitt argued.
The move is
also expected to cause a reaction from the European Union, which has
spearheaded efforts to curb CO2 emissions and has criticised Trump’s plans to
pull out of the Paris Climate Accord. The EU has also said it plans to boost
its cooperation with the US states and industries that share Brussels’ climate
change objectives and plans to cut C02 emissions.
Under the
Clean Air Act (CAA), the EPA sets national standards for vehicle tailpipe
emissions of certain pollutants. Through a CAA waiver granted by the EPA,
California can impose stricter standards for vehicle emissions of certain
pollutants than federal requirements, the EPA said, noting that under Pruitt’s
leadership, the Agency is still examining the California waiver.
“Cooperative
federalism doesn’t mean that one state can dictate standards for the rest of
the country,” Pruitt said, adding that the EPA will set a national standard for
greenhouse gas emissions that allows auto manufacturers to make cars that people
both want and can afford — while still expanding environmental and safety
benefits of newer cars. “It is in America’s best interest to have a national
standard, and we look forward to partnering with all states, including
California, as we work to finalise that standard,” Pruitt said.
https://www.neweurope.eu/article/us-epa-says-obama-era-emissions-standards-cars-high/