California’s chief law enforcement official said Tuesday he would continue to fight the Trump administration if it moves to weaken fuel efficiency rules for cars and trucks.
“It’s pretty clear there is a lot of evidence behind the standards, and it would be tough to simply say you can roll them back,” said California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, speaking with reporters on the sidelines of the National Association of Attorneys General 2018 Winter Meeting in Washington.
Last year, President Trump charged the EPA with reviewing rules set by the Obama administration that would require automakers to nearly double the average fuel economy of new cars and trucks to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.
Automakers have pressed for relief from the rules, arguing low gasoline prices have weakened consumer demand for hybrid-electric cars and smaller, fuel-efficient models.
The EPA has an April 1 deadline to decide whether the regulations covering the 2022-2025 model years should be revised.
California has fought the Trump administration over the proposed weakening of the rules.
Annette Hebert, an official with the California Air Resources Board, has warned the state could withdraw from the nationwide vehicle emissions program if the EPA limits the regulations.
California has an EPA waiver allowing it to set its own regulations that are tougher than the national standards, and other states can follow those instead.
Trump administration officials have said in recent weeks that the EPA aims to maintain “one national program” for vehicle-emissions rules and wants to avoid a legal battle with California over the issue.
Becerra said Tuesday his state is having ongoing conversations with the EPA, and would oppose having to depart from its own emissions standards to follow weaker federal rules.
“We are having conversations with EPA,” Becerra said. “We feel very strongly about the [California] standards. They have proven effective and been adopted nationwide. We want to make sure we are making progress, not going backwards. The conversation should be one that leads to continued progress when it comes to emissions.”
But EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, in testimony to the Senate earlier this month, suggested he was losing patience, and left open the possibility he may seek to revoke California’s authority.
“Federalism doesn’t mean that one state can dictate to the rest of the country,” Pruitt told the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee.
He then added that “we recognize California’s special status in the statute and we are working with them to find consensus around these issues.”
Becerra said he is not intimidated.
“Veiled threats are par for the course for California from this administration,” Becerra said. “At the end of day, they can threaten, but what they do under the law is something else. We will work with them, we will be constructive, we will work with the facts and the science, and try to move and make some progress.”
