WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Scott Peters (CA-52) released the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its final rule to dismantle the historic fuel efficiency standards established under the Obama Administration to reduce air pollution from cars and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. The Administration is expected to trade the 2012 rule with a weaker replacement estimated to increase emissions by 2.2 billion metric tons and cost Americans a total of $300 billion.

“At a time when the need to listen to scientists and public health experts has become more critical and obvious than ever, it is unconscionable that this Administration would ignore the enormous body of climate research and choose to unleash toxins that will destroy our planet and hurt people with respiratory illnesses who are especially vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus. President Trump’s decision to rollback these standards drastically hurts the health of our communities, children and our planet, and it further weakens the United States’ global leadership on climate,” Rep. Peters said.

“Other nations recognize how important it is to protect our air and water and the U.S. now lags far behind most of the world in fuel efficiency requirements.

“San Diego and California are at the forefront of fighting fuel emissions; just as it threatens public health, slashing the current fuel efficiency standards will also hurt California’s economy. Domestic automakers have adapted to the 2012 standard, and loosening the rule will likely lead to instability and potentially loss of work for a significant number of our nation’s workers,” he added.

Rep. Peters has rebuked other Trump Administration environmental rollbacks, such as the President’s action to rescind the Clean Power Plan in 2019 and rollback the Methane Rule in 2018. The Congressman’s Climate Playbook provides a collection of policy proposals, many of which are bipartisan, that can slow and reverse the effects of climate change.