WASHINGTON (May 15, 2018)—In April, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt issued a final determination stating that federal vehicle emissions standards should be weakened. In a lawsuit filed today, seven public interest groups—including the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS)—sued the Trump administration over this determination, asking the court to uphold the previous administration’s science-based finding that the standards are appropriate and achievable.
Below is a statement by Ken Kimmell, president of UCS.
“The evidence is clear: today’s vehicle standards are a remarkable success, delivering cleaner cars every year and benefiting drivers and the climate. When the Trump administration announced it would re-open and weaken the standards, it put the progress we’ve made at risk and disregarded the science in the process. When you make a decision like this, you need to show your work and demonstrate why this change is necessary. The Trump administration simply failed to do so. This administration needs to learn that you can’t govern by arbitrary whim.”