Trump lets gas- guzzlers keep polluting

Of all the Trump administration’s assaults on the environment, there may be none more destructive than the decision to weaken fuel economy standards and let cars, passenger trucks and SUVs burn more gas and spew more tailpipe pollution.

The fuel economy standards adopted by the Obama administration in 2012 were a central part of the United States’ efforts to reduce the greenhouse gases responsible for global warming. The regulations pushed automakers to move faster to develop fuel-sipping vehicles by requiring the new cars and trucks they sold to collectively average more than 50 mpg by 2025.

The Trump plan announced Thursday would freeze average fuel economy at 37 mpg in 2021.

If successful, the Trump administration would be stunting decades of progress toward cleaner, healthier air, and it would be hobbling the worldwide effort to combat climate change.

The Trump administration’s decision to roll back the standards is especially appalling now. We’re already feeling the effects of global warming in more extreme weather events, from prolonged droughts, endless wildfire seasons and unprecedented heat waves to severe hurricanes and floods.

If there is any hope of avoiding catastrophe, the world has to significantly reduce the greenhouse gases responsible for climate change. In the United States, that means making gas-powered vehicles more fuel efficient, thereby cutting tailpipe emissions, and transitioning to zeroemission vehicles. Cars and trucks are the nation’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions.

And yet despite the grave risk of delay, the Trump administration has put forth flimsy justifications for the rollback. Federal agencies say lower fuel economy standards will save lives Los Angeles Times