Report: Environmental Protection Agency Preparing to Dial Back Auto-Emissions Standards

The Trump administration is reportedly gearing up to roll back Obama-era rules on greenhouse-gas emissions and fuel-economy standards for cars, in a major blow to environmental advocates. Sources cited by The New York Times on Thursday said Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt is expected to announce the measure next week and frame it as being about cost concerns. A 16-page draft proposal on the rollback has already been given to the White House for review, an EPA spokeswoman confirmed to the Times. The rules, known as Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, were put in place under President Obama to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions and fight climate change. The planned rollback of those standards is likely to trigger legal battles with environmental groups, and California has already vowed to stick to the Obama-era rules.