Why EPA’s Effort to Weaken Fuel Efficiency Standards Could be Trump’s Most Climate-Damaging Move Yet

Weakening the CAFE auto standards could delay action on climate change for a generation — and launch a legal battle with California now.

By hitting the brakes on the decades-long drive to reduce automotive carbon emissions, President Donald Trump's administration has taken its most consequential step yet toward undoing his predecessor's legacy on climate change.

Scott Pruitt, the embattled chief of the Environmental Protection Agency, announced the reversal on Monday in a "final determination" that President Obama's plan for the 2022-2025 model years went too far and would be revised.

Pruitt did not yet announce a replacement for the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, which dictate fuel efficiency and therefore emissions.  And even after he does—after more consultations and debate—it's likely to be challenged in court.

So would another aspect of his plan: his threat to refuse a waiver to California, which is intent on setting its own tough standards.

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