Days after President Donald Trump announced that his administration will re-examine federal requirements that govern the fuel efficiency of cars and trucks, Connecticut’s attorney general says he plans to file a motion against any plan to roll back on emissions standards.
"As a downwind state, and a state that has taken considerable steps toward improving its air quality, these actions are disappointing and deeply concerning. Emission standards serve an important purpose in not only combating climate change but also in protecting the safety, health and well-being of our residents,” Attorney General George Jepsen said in a statement.
Trump's decision, which has no immediate effect, requires the Environmental Protection Agency to determine no later than April 2018 whether the 2022-2025 standards established are appropriate. If the EPA determines they are not appropriate, the agency will submit a new proposal next year.
"My administration will work tirelessly to eliminate the industry-killing regulations, to lower the job-crushing taxes and to ensure a level playing field for all American companies and workers," Trump said Wednesday while in Detroit.
Jepsen called Trump’s announcement, which came the same day that the Alliance of Automobile Manufactures filed suit against the standards, “an attempt to wrest well-established authority from those states that have adopted stricter pollution standards – a position entirely inconsistent with the President's self-professed respect for state's rights.”
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers — which represents a dozen major car manufacturers including General Motors, Ford, Fiat Chrysler and Toyota — praised Trump's action and said he was creating an opportunity for federal and state officials to "reach a thoughtful and coordinated outcome predicated on the best and most current data."
"Connecticut will not stand idly by as this administration attempts to undo the significant progress made toward safeguarding our clean air. We will oppose efforts by the Trump Administration to take any action that will harm our citizens and our economy," Jepsen said in a statement.
Local
"We will also be filing a motion to intervene in support of the current vehicle emission standards in the challenge to the standards filed by the Alliance of Automobile Manufactures in U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Whether the efforts to weaken our air quality comes from the President or from the car manufactures, we will defend our state from the onslaught," Jepsen said.
