They’ve really shot themselves in the foot this time.
Newly-uncovered evidence of just how sloppy EPA was in their move to rollback the wildly successful Clean Car standards makes their case even more vulnerable to a legal challenge.
It's going to take tons of paperwork... a lot of legal research... and hours upon hours of our staff attorneys' time. (Cases are now being heard virtually to limit the spread of coronavirus, so our staff haven’t missed a beat.)
Will you help get the job done with a donation to our Climate Legal Defense Fund?
Under Obama-era Clean Car Standards and under the leading state clean cars program, automakers have been gradually improving their vehicles so they emit less climate and smog pollution, get better gas mileage and save Americans hard-earned money at the gas pump.
While these standards have outperformed original estimates, that hasn’t stopped President Trump’s EPA from working to roll back those regulations and suggest a weak replacement… with no timeline for any future improvements. They’ve also been pursuing a multi-pronged attack to permanently block climate pollution limits under the landmark state clean vehicle standards adopted by California and 14 other states.
Earlier this month, EDF attorneys sent a formal Notice of Intent to Sue to EPA and Administrator Andrew Wheeler if they refuse to release certain documents related to the rollback.
And just yesterday, we officially filed our lawsuit challenging the rollback itself.
Help secure a victory by supporting EDF's Legal Defense Fund.
One January document obtained by The Washington Post revealed that EPA officials were not given sufficient time to review the Transportation Department’s analysis on carbon dioxide emissions and these officials had not seen its final environmental impact statement on climate and air quality impacts or on health effects. The document also identifies numerous “factually incorrect statements and errors, including false statements about EPA’s technical work” in the draft rule.
Two months later and four days before the new rule was signed by EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, an EPA official emailed superiors that the Department of Transportation failed to address more than 250 comments from EPA experts and that, “Factually inaccurate text has still not been corrected.” The official warned these inaccuracies could be challenged in court.
They were right. We expect the pending documents to buttress our legal challenge to the Clean Cars rollback.
Your support is urgently needed to help cross the finish line and prevent this costly, deadly rollback. Please donate to EDF’s Climate Legal Defense Fund today to keep the ball rolling.
Thank you for standing up for clean air and a safer climate future,
Emily Stevenson
Manager, Online Membership
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