AUBURN (NEWS CENTER Maine) — The Trump administration is reportedly poised to roll back vehicle emissions standards as early as next Tuesday. Critics say it could cripple efforts to fight climate change.
The standards, which were approved during the Obama administration, call for new cars and trucks to average 36 mpg by 2025 to help slow down greenhouse admissions. The president has called the standards "job-crushing for the auto industry."
Maine is one of 13 states that follow standards set by California, which are stricter than the federal government's standards. Environmentalists say Maine could join other states such as California in fighting any changes to the emissions standards.
"Air pollution knows no boundaries," said Dylan Voorhees of the Natural Resources Council of Maine. "The states upwind of us that don't have strong standards like Maine, we breathe the air So it's clearly bad news for Maine if the standards are rolled back."
The rules are locked in until 2021 but the EPA administration led by Scott Pruitt is still able to change the emissions target for 2022 through 2025.
The new rules are expected to be announced at a Virginia car dealership on Tuesday.