Trump rolls back fuel efficiency rules
Obama’s standard too high: Pruitt
WASHINGTON, April 3, (Agencies): The Trump administration rolled back Obama-era pollution and fuel efficiency rules for cars and light trucks on Monday, saying they were too stringent.
The decision by President Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency means the emission standards for vehicles in the 2022-2025 model years will be revised, as sought by automakers.
“The Obama administration’s determination was wrong,” said EPA chief Scott Pruitt.
Former president Barack Obama’s EPA “made assumptions about the standards that didn’t comport with reality, and set the standards too high,” Pruitt said in a statement.
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers applauded the move, saying it would “keep new vehicles affordable to more Americans.”
“This was the right decision, and we support the administration for pursuing a data-driven effort and a single national program as it works to finalize future standards,” said the industry group representing Fiat Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen and others.
The rules set in 2012, known as the Corporate Average Fuel Economy or CAFE standards, sought to reduce pollutants released into the air by gradually increasing fuel efficiency across all models offered by manufacturers to 54.5 miles per gallon (4.32 liters per 100 kilometers), compared to 35.5 miles per gallon in 2016.
Pruitt said the EPA in 2012 cut short its review of the standards for “politically charged expediency,” but he will work with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to develop new, “more appropriate” rules.
The agency is also examining the waiver that allows California, the most popular US state, to impose tougher requirements than called for under the Clean Air Act.
One state cannot “dictate standards for the rest of the country,” Pruitt said.
“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.”
This is likely to open a long legal battle between California, a traditionally Democratic state, and Trump’s Republican administration.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said the EPA’s “assault” on CAFE standards “risks our ability to protect our children’s health, tackle climate change and save hardworking Americans money.”
Dino footprints found:
Dinosaur footprints dating back 170 million years have been discovered on a Scottish island and will help shed light on the reptiles’ evolution, the University of Edinburgh said on Tuesday.
The footprints are in a muddy, shallow lagoon on the Isle of Skye.
“We’re ready to file suit if needed to protect these critical standards and to fight the Administration’s war on our environment,” Becerra said.
Trump has been scaling back many types of regulations, including environmental standards, set by his Democratic predecessor, including pulling out of the Paris climate accord.
Indonesia has declared a state of emergency around a port on Borneo island, officials said on Tuesday, after a large oil spill and fire killed four people at the weekend.
Disaster mitigation officials were able to control the blaze in the port city of Balikpapan but were still working to contain the spill, which started on Saturday and spread over an area of around 12 square km (4.5 square miles).
“We have warned the public not to carry out activities that could spark fires,” Suryanto, head of the city’s environmental agency, said.
Balikpapan, in East Kalimantan, is a major mining and energy hub and home to one of the few oil refineries in the country, run by state energy firm Pertamina.
The state-owned company said it was investigating where the oil had originated and that its own underwater pipeline in the area did not have any leaks. Pertamina said there had been no disruptions to operations.
“At this time, our team is prioritising management (of the incident),” said Arya Dwi Paramita, external communications manager at Pertamina.
Green energy activists in Portugal are hailing a milestone after favorable weather conditions helped production from renewable sources in March to exceed the country’s monthly electricity consumption for the first time.
National energy infrastructure company REN says wet and windy weather meant energy from hydroelectric dams and wind turbines was exceptionally high.
Coal-fired power stations and imported electricity were occasionally needed to help meet peak demand. However, overall in March green energy sources produced electricity equivalent to more than 103 percent of that month’s consumption.
The Portuguese Renewable Energy Association and the ZERO environmental association said Tuesday that the milestone reflected a trend toward greater use of green energy after decades of investment.
Portugal has been a European pioneer in adopting renewables.