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The Trump administration is citing safety reasons to justify rolling back Obama-era fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks.
They argue that drivers of more fuel-efficient cars would be on the road more and are thus exposed to increased risks, and that heavier vehicles are safer than lighter ones in collisions, according to a draft of the administration's proposals obtained by the Associated Press.
Freezing former President Obama's fuel economy standards could prevent up to 1,000 deaths per year, excerpts of draft state.
"Improvements over time have better longer-term effects simply by not alienating consumers, as compared to great leaps forward" in fuel efficiency and other technology, the administration claims.
The proposals could be released as soon as this week and contains plans to challenge California's ability to set its own automobile greenhouse gas emissions standards, the AP reported.
Transportation experts weren't so sure about the Trump administration's claims, as the AP reported:
"Allow me to be skeptical," said Giorgio Rizzoni, an engineering professor and director of the Center for Automotive Research at Ohio State University. "To say that safety is a direct result of somehow freezing the fuel economy mandate for a few years, I think that's a stretch."
Alan Taub, professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Michigan, said he would choose a 2017 Malibu over a heavier one from 20 years earlier. It's engineered better, has more features to avoid crashes and additional air bags, among other things. "You want to be in the newer vehicle," he said.
The transportation sector is the country's biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the largest single source of air pollution in the United States.
Air pollution is not only a major environmental risk, it's also a human health risk. The latest World Health Organization (WHO) air quality report found that air pollution kills seven million people every year. WHO data also showed that a number of U.S. cities have notable air pollution levels, including Los Angeles, Bakersfield and Fresno, California; Indianapolis; and the Elkhart-Goshen area of Indiana, CNN reported from the WHO study.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration announced it would revise emissions and efficiency standards, unwinding one of former President Obama's signature climate policies. A coalition of 17 states, including California, sued the Trump administration in light of the move.
Trump administration's proposal on vehicle fuel efficiency, which is expected to freeze emissions limits, will be released this week
At a U.S. Senate hearing Wednesday, acting U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief Andrew Wheeler confirmed that the Trump administration's proposal on vehicle fuel efficiency will be released this week.
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It's become a familiar story with the Trump administration: Scientists write a report that shows the administration's policies will cause environmental damage, then the administration buries the report and fires the scientists.
A coalition of some of the largest environmental groups in the country joined forces to file a lawsuit in federal court challenging the Trump administration's maneuver to weaken the Endangered Species Act.
By Kimberly Holland
Children who eat a lot of gluten in their earliest years may have an increased risk of developing celiac disease and gluten intolerance, according to a new study published in JAMATrusted Source.
Sanders Unveils Green New Deal Plan to Avoid Climate Catastrophe, Create 20 Million Jobs
By Jake Johnson
Calling the global climate crisis both the greatest threat facing the U.S. and the greatest opportunity for transformative change, Sen. Bernie Sanders unveiled today a comprehensive Green New Deal proposal that would transition the U.S. economy to 100 percent renewable energy and create 20 million well-paying union jobs over a decade.
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The Parties to CITES agreed to list giraffes on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) today at the World Wildlife Conference or CoP18 in Geneva. Such protections will ensure that all giraffe parts trade were legally acquired and not sourced from the poached giraffes trade and will require countries to make non-detriment findings before allowing giraffe exports. The listing will also enable the collection of international trade data for giraffes that might justify greater protections at both CITES and other venues in the future.
The WHO stressed that more research is needed on the potential health risks of microplastic ingestion. luchschen / iStock / Getty Images Plus
The UN's health agency on Thursday said that microplastics contained in drinking water posed a "low" risk at their current levels.
However, the World Health Organization (WHO) — in its first report on the potential health risks of microplastic ingestion — also stressed more research was needed to reassure consumers.
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'This is a Sick Statement': Brazil’s Bolsonaro, Under Pressure for Anti-Environmental Policies, Blames NGOs for Record Amazon Fires
Brazil's right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro is giving President Trump a run for his money in the alternative facts department.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who made solving the climate crisis the center of his presidential campaign, is dropping out of the 2020 Democratic primary race.