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US States ‘Prepared’ to Challenge in Court Trump’s Proposed SAFE Vehicles Rule

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Attorneys General of 19 US states and the District of Columbia said in a statement on Thursday that they stand ready to issue a legal challenge to the Trump administration for its proposed fuel efficiency regulations to make new vehicles more accessible to Americans, reduce fuel costs and improve road safety.
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"We are prepared to go to court to put the brakes on this reckless and illegal plan," the Attorneys General said in the statement.

The Attorneys General explained the proposal will weaken existing Obama-era fuel efficiency standards established to reduce carbon pollution and improve air quality. The Attorneys General also accuse the Trump administration of pulling money out of driver’s pockets as they will have to pay more for gas under the proposed regulations.

"The administration’s proposal to weaken rules will cause the American people to breathe dirtier air and pay higher prices at the pump. If adopted, the Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s rollbacks will cost American drivers hundreds of billions of dollars," the statement said.

The signatories explained that freezing or weakening standards puts public health at risk, and increases the rising costs of climate change for our states."

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Current policy foresees that federal standards improvements for the model year 2022-2025 vehicles will allow drivers to save $1,650 per car and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 540 metric tons, the statement said.

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By contrast, Trump’s proposed regulations will lead to increase in pollution of up to 37 million metric tons in 2025 and may cost Americans up to $236 billion at the pump through 2035, the statement added.

Earlier in the day, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) issued a statement requesting public feedback to ensure that all potential impacts from the proposed Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient Vehicles Rule for Model Years 2021-2026 Passenger Cars and Light Trucks (SAFE Vehicles Rule) are fully considered, which will enable the administration to issue a final rule this winter.

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