MD, states sue Trump administration over EPA fuel rule rollback

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Maryland and other states are suing President Donald Trump’s administration over his plans to slash federal car emission and fuel economy standards.

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown’s office said it filed a lawsuit along with 22 other states, as well as various ncounties and cities, against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that challenges the agency’s recent decision to rescind an Obama-era scientific finding that greenhouse gas emissions from cars and other sources pose a threat to public health. The lawsuit was filed Thursday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

“By rescinding the Endangerment Finding, the EPA is stripping away protections that have shielded Marylanders from rising floods, extreme heat, and toxic air since 2009,” Brown said in a news release. “We’re filing this lawsuit to stop a dangerous future driven by a decision that puts polluters over people.”

A prior lawsuit related to the issue was filed in the same court by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club and other environmental groups on Feb. 18.

What EPA says about lawsuit

The EPA defended its decision to rescind the climate finding, saying in a statement that was provided to USA TODAY that it “carefully considered and reevaluated the legal foundation of the 2009 Endangerment Finding, the text of the (Clean Air Act), and the Endangerment Finding’s legality in light of subsequent legal developments and court decisions.”

The Trump administration has promised that rolling back stringent fuel economy rules will allow automakers to make cheaper cars, but New York Attorney General Letitia James‘ office said the EPA’s decision “contradicts the overwhelming scientific evidence of the continued threat posed by climate change.”

“Across our country, communities are already suffering from climate disasters,” James said in a statement. “Instead of helping Americans face our new reality, the Trump administration has chosen denial, repealing critical protections that are foundational to the federal government’s response to climate change.”

Joining Brown and James in the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin; the District of Columbia; and the United States Virgin Islands, as well as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro; the cities of Albuquerque, New Mexico; Boston; Chicago; Cleveland; Columbus, Ohio; Los Angeles; and New York City; the counties of Harris, Texas; Martin Luther King, Jr., Washington; and Santa Clara, California; and the cities and counties of Denver and San Francisco.

What does it mean for buyers as car and gas prices rise?

Car buyers are reeling from gas prices that reached an average of $3.90 per gallon on Friday, according to AAA. That’s up from an average of $3.63 one week ago March 13, and $2.93 one month ago on Feb. 20.That compares with a statewide average of $3.84 in Maryland as of Friday, $3.53 the week before and $2.95 a month prior.

Car shoppers are also experiencing sticker shock in dealership showroom with the average price of new car in February hitting $49,353, according to Cox Automotive’s Kelley Blue Book.

The federal fuel economy rules that the Trump administration is trying to eliminate require automakers to produce car fleets that are capable of averaging over 50 miles per gallon by 2031.

The White House says eliminating the rules will drastically lower sticker prices for most car shoppers.

“This action will eliminate over $1.3 trillion of regulatory costs and help bring car prices tumbling down dramatically,” Trump said in the Feb. 12 White House event announcing the action.

Environmentalists and Trump critics sharply disagree, saying that the administration’s ruling that the 2009 endangerment finding is invalid relied on junk science and likely won’t lower car prices much at all.

“The American people need their leaders to be honest and pragmatic about the threat of the climate crisis,” James said. “We will not let the federal government abandon its responsibility to the people.”

What happened to car prices the last time Trump slashed federal fuel rules?

In March 2017, Trump first announced his plan to roll back stringent fuel economy rules that were enacted under former President Barack Obama which would have required automakers to achieve fleetwide averages of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. When Trump made that announcement, the average price of a new car was $34,342, according to Kelley Blue Book.

Trump’s first rollback resulted in federal fuel-mileage standards being frozen at about 39 miles per gallon for model years 2021 to 2026. The mileage rules change coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw dramatic increases in prices for cars and many other goods.

When former President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, he moved almost immediately to restore the stringent Obama-era fuel economy standards. Biden eventually settled on a plan that was announced in August 2021 that would have required automakers to achieve fleetwide averages of around 50 miles per gallon by 2031. The average price of a new car then was $43,355.

Reporting by Keith Laing, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.

Includes reporting by Chris McKenna of USA TODAY Network-New York.