The Trump Administration announced in September their decision to withdraw Californias waiver from the 2013 Clean Air Act.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao stated that the EPA is finalizing the “One National Program Rule” regarding fuel standards.
A press release by the EPA stated that the policy will “enable the federal government to provide nationwide uniform fuel economy and greenhouse gas emission standards for automobiles and light duty trucks.”
The decision will remove Californias authority to set its own fuel emission standards which are currently higher than national standard.
“Todays action meets President Trumps commitment to establish uniform fuel economy standards for vehicles across the United States, ensuring that no state has the authority to opt out of the nations rules, and no state has the right to impose its policies on the rest of the country,” said Chao during the press conference.
Many people are concerned that the new policy will lead to negative effects on the planet, arguing that stricter fuel emission policies will help protect the air and environment.
The Epoch Times reached out to Sterling Burnett, a senior fellow on environmental and energy policy at The Heartland Institute, to discuss the new EPA decision and its effects on the country.
Regarding the concern of increasing levels of carbon dioxide, Burnett explained that “there is no question that there could be some level where it [carbon dioxide] is dangerous, but we are nowhere near that and nothing that this [decision] does, Trumps decision to freeze standards where they are, will not raise levels of carbon dioxide appreciably.”
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), “the global average atmospheric carbon dioxide in 2018 was 407.4 parts per million,” which is the highest levels have been in the past 800,000 years.
Burnett noted that carbon dioxide is a necessary gas for plants to live and thrive. Without carbon dioxide, among other nutrients, plants will be unable to produce oxygen or food for itself, but balance is key.
Political Battle
However, while environmental concerns are important, the problem with the previous 2013 Clean Air Act is that it allowed California, as the sole state, to set the national standard for fuel emissions.
Burnett said that California and the 22 other states suing the Trump administration have incorrectly claimed that the new decision is rolling back and lowering the nationwide fuel emission standards.
“What Trump is doing is not rolling back standards, he is simply freezing standards where they currently are,” Burnett explained.
Individual states do not have the power or right to set nationwide policies. The current proposal under the Trump Administration is simply pushing for a uniform natioRead More – Source
