Oregonians demand clean car standards from EPA

PORTLAND, OR - Sunday marks five years since the federal government adopted rules that require automakers to make new cars that pollute less while saving consumers major money at the pump. But in the era of the Trump Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency is taking steps to roll back those rules, similar to those championed by scores of Oregonians and businesses more than 10 years ago. 

"Reversing fuel efficiency and clean car standards creates a financial burden on families by making everything they do more expensive," Chris Hagerbaumer, Deputy Director at Oregon Environmental Council, said. 

Here's what's at stake. By 2025, fuel efficiency and clean car standards are expected to (all numbers are total benefits from 2012-2025): 
* Nearly double fuel efficiency; 
* Save 6 billion metric tons of dangerous tailpipe pollution; 
* Save America 12 billion barrels of oil; 
* Save individual consumers $1,460 to $1,620 in fuel costs by the time the standards are fully implemented; and 
* Save Americans $67 billion to $122 billion over the lifetime of vehicles when the standards are fully implemented. 

If Trump's EPA re-opens evaluation of these rules and then rolls them back, the impact means a waste of taxpayer money. Agencies worked thousands of hours to research and gather evidence for more than a year allowing all stakeholders, including the auto industry, to respond. 

In 2005, more than 5,000 individual Oregonians and more than 100 businesses, health professionals, faith leaders, elected officials and conservation groups formed a coalition with the help of Oregon Environmental Council and Environment Oregon. Their work convinced the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission to adopt the state's clean car standards. 

"We call upon the Trump Administration to keep the clean car standards in place and to allow states to continue to protect their residents," Hagerbaumer said. 

For more information on the nationwide impact of these rules to health, families, the environment and to reach Hagerbaumer for comment, contact OEC. 

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Oregon Environmental Council (@OECOnline) is a statewide nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to advancing innovative, collaborative and equitable solutions to Oregon's environmental challenges for today and future generations. Visit us: oeconline.org. We invest more than 85% of our contributions directly into policies and programs that benefit people living in Oregon.