Press Release  AG Healey Urges EPA to Withdraw Illegal Proposals to Roll Back Emissions Rules Following New Federal Climate Report

BOSTON — Citing the dire risks and impacts of climate change laid out in the recently released second volume of the National Climate Assessment, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey joined a coalition of 29 states, counties, and cities in calling on Acting Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Andrew Wheeler to immediately withdraw the agency’s proposals to roll back federal standards limiting greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks and power plants.

“The Trump Administration’s own assessment reinforces that these rollbacks put the lives of thousands of Americans at risk and would force our cities and towns to pay billions more to fight the devastating effects of climate change,” AG Healey said. “We stand with our partners across the country in demanding that the EPA withdraw its dangerous proposals and get serious about reducing emissions.”

In a comment letter sent to Wheeler today, the coalition argues that instead of moving forward with freezing the Clean Car Standards and replacing the Clean Power Plan – efforts that AG Healey and the coalition have vigorously opposed at every turn – EPA should view the new report’s findings as an urgent call to take further steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The National Climate Assessment, issued on Nov. 23 by EPA and 12 other federal agencies, is the federal government’s analysis of the impacts of climate change on the country, how they are projected to intensify, and the associated risks to public health, the environment, the economy, and national security. As noted in the letter, the Assessment concludes that the country’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions “do not yet approach the scale considered necessary to avoid substantial damages to the economy, environment and human health over the coming decades.”

The transportation and power sectors are the two largest sources of climate-warming emissions. Conservatively, based on the EPA’s own figures, the proposed rollback of the Clean Car Standards would increase emissions of climate change pollution by 540 million metric tons from model year 2022-2025 vehicles alone, and the Clean Power Plan’s planned rollback would cause emission increases of up to 55 million metric tons in 2030. Together, these increases in climate change pollution for those years alone would equal the estimated annual emissions of 127 million gasoline-powered cars or 147 coal-burning power plants.

At a minimum, the coalition contends, EPA should reopen the public comment periods for each of the proposed rollbacks.

The Trump Administration’s proposal to weaken the federal standards for greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks would result in Americans spending billions of dollars more on gas. It also seeks to unlawfully revoke the authority of states, including Massachusetts, to enforce stronger standards to protect their residents. In October, AG Healey joined a coalition of states and cities in demanding that the Administration withdraw its proposed rollback of the standards. AG Healey is a leading member of a coalition of states that have pledged to sue the Trump Administration over the proposal if finalized. 

The Administration’s proposals to repeal and replace the Clean Power Plan would allow dirty and aging coal-fired power plants to extend their lives by making upgrades without having to install pollution controls. EPA itself has acknowledged that the proposed rule would cause serious harm to human health and would result in substantially more air pollution. Last month, AG Healey was part of a coalition of states, counties and cities who submitted detailed comments to the EPA urging it to abandon its illegal and dangerous proposal to replace the Plan. AG Healey is committed to fighting the repeal of the Clean Power Plan in court.

Joining AG Healey in sending today’s letter are the attorneys general of New York, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota (by and through its Minnesota Pollution Control Agency), New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia, the County Attorney of Broward (FL), and the City Attorneys/Corporation Counsels of Boulder (CO), Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Oakland (CA), Philadelphia, San Francisco, and South Miami.
 

###