Pruitt Says ‘California Is Not The Arbiter’ Of U.S. Emissions Standards

"Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt said Tuesday that EPA is not planning to set stricter fuel economy standards beyond 2025 and questioned whether states such as California should be able to enact their own tougher emissions rules for cars and light trucks.

In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Pruitt said that California — which has a waiver under the 1970 Clean Air Act giving it authority to set its own auto emissions standards — cannot dictate vehicle emissions across the country. The Obama administration reached a 2009 deal with California and the auto industry that set the first carbon limits on tailpipe emissions.

In 2012, the EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a part of the Transportation Department, adopted rules requiring cars and light trucks to average 54.5 miles per gallon overall by 2025. Trump and Pruitt announced last year that they would revisit the emission standards for model years 2022 to 2025, and EPA must announce by April 1 whether those limits can be attained or should be changed."

Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis report for the Washington Post March 13, 2018.