Vermont state officials say they'll vigorously oppose a move by the Environmental Protection Agency to roll back fuel efficiency standards.
Vermont is one of a number of states that has stricter fuel economy standards than the federal government requires, which means cars sold here have to get better gas mileage, on average, than vehicles sold in states without the tighter restrictions.
Secretary of Natural Resources Julie Moore says the requirement is already achieving its intended goals.
“Vehicle efficiency standards are a really important tool in our efforts to drive down greenhouse gas emissions and achieve our overall climate objectives,” Moore said.
But the head of the EPA, Scott Pruitt, says those standards are too stringent. And he’s indicated he may revoke states’ abilities to impose the higher standards.
Moore said the consequences of this would be severe.
“We’re going to default to the national baseline, the national minimum, which will dramatically alter our ability to achieve our greenhouse emission reduction goals,” Moore said.
Moore said she’s working with a coalition of New England states to push back against the EPA’s move. And Moore and Vermont Attorney General TJ Donovan say they’ll work to oppose any reduction in fuel efficiency standards.
“We’re certainly tracking our legal options,” Moore said. “There’s scant details in what was released by EPA yesterday, but to my mind it’s planting a flag, and a flag that's troublesome from its policy perspective.”
