Environmental groups protest Trump's decision to repeal US climate regulations
On Wednesday, a coalition of environmental and health groups sued the Trump administration over its decision?to revoke?the scientific findings that form?the basis of?U.S. Climate regulations. The lawsuit filed before the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia challenges also the Environmental Protection Agency decision, announced last week, to repeal the tailpipe regulations that limit greenhouse gas emission from cars and trucks. The groups suing include the Center for Biological Diversity, ?American?Lung Association,?American Public Health Association,?Union of Concerned Scientists, Natural Resources Defense Council, Public Citizen and ?Sierra Club.
The EPA announced on Thursday that it will repeal the 17 year old endangerment findings and also stop federal greenhouse gas emissions standards for all vehicle and engine models from 2012 to 2027.
The EPA defended their action on Wednesday.
The agency stated that "Unlike its predecessors, Trump EPA is dedicated to following the law 'exactly as written' and as Congress intended - not as others may wish it to be." "Congress never intended for EPA to have the authority to impose GHG standards on cars and trucks."
This was Trump's biggest climate policy rollback?to date, following a series of?regulatory reductions and other measures intended to unfetter the development of fossil fuels and stymie clean energy rollout. The EPA stated that the end of vehicle emissions standards and repealing them will save $1.3 trillion. Environmental groups claim that the move will raise gasoline prices up to 9% in the next decade. This, combined with California's EV regulations being removed, could cost drivers over $3 billion annually by 2035.
Former President Joe Biden's administration stated that the rules will benefit consumers in 2024 through reduced fuel costs and other savings. Biden's EPA stated that consumers could expect to save $6,000 on average over the lifetime of a new vehicle.
Trump has called climate changes a hoax and has withdrawn the U.S. from the Paris Agreement. This leaves the U.S. out of the international efforts to fight global warming. Trump has also eliminated tax credits from the Biden era that were aimed at accelerating the deployment of renewable energy and electric cars.
The U.S. adopted an endangerment determination in '2009 and the EPA took actions under the Clean Air Act, to curb emissions from cars, power plants, and other industries of methane, carbon dioxide and four other heat trapping air pollutants.
The repeal of the law would remove the requirement to report, certify and measure greenhouse gas emissions for automobiles, but it may not apply initially to stationary sources like power plants.
According to EPA data, the transportation and power industries are responsible for about a quarter each of U.S. emissions. Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Chizu Gregorio and David Gregorio
(source: Reuters)
