Killing us slowly and then all at once
by digby
I guess the argument over climate change is over. And the planet lost:
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced today that his agency was rolling back Obama-era fuel efficiency and emissions standards for automobiles, calling the move another step in President Trump’s “regulatory agenda.”
“Those standards are inappropriate and should be revised,” Pruitt said at the EPA.
The change in policy relaxes fuel efficiency and emissions standards for vehicles manufactured between 2022 and 2025. Pruitt did not outline any new standards, saying they are still under evaluation.
Yeah, I’m going to guess that if Trump and Pruitt have their way those “new standards” will need decades of study and when they are implemented, they’ll be a further rollback.
Scott Pruitt is a corrupt, paranoid nutcase who would probably be facing a federal grand jury if he worked for anyone but Donald Trump. But he’s getting the job done killing the planet so for now it looks like he’s staying.
By the way, even auto dealers don’t want to be associated with this nonsense:
The press conference was originally scheduled to be held at a Chevrolet dealership in Chantilly, Virginia, that is owned by Geoffrey Pohanka, an outspoken climate change denier and National Automobile Dealers Association board member. But other Chevy dealers, wary of associating the General Motors brand with the Trump administration’s actions, convinced Pohanka to cancel the event, according to The New York Times. Instead, Pruitt hosted the conference in the EPA’s historic Rachel Carson Green Room.