President Trump Reportedly Will Announce Review Of EPA Emissions Rules

It looks like the Affordable Care Act isn’t the only remnant of the Obama administration that soon could be on life support.

President Donald Trump is expected to visit Ypsilanti, Mich., on Wednesday, where he will announce plans to review the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2022-25 vehicle emissions rules, Reuters reports. Trump reportedly will announce the news at an event alongside CEOs of American, German and Japanese automakers, many of which have been urging the president to reopen a review of the rules that were locked in by the Obama administration during its final days.

The EPA finalized the current standards, which call for automakers’ fleets to average 51.4 mpg by 2025, after a “midterm review” in January even though the deadline to do so is April 2018.

If Trump does reopen the review of the regulations, that doesn’t necessarily mean they will be scrapped entirely. The purpose of the assessment is to determine whether the long-term fuel economy targets are feasible.

Many automakers have argued complying with the regulations not only would significantly increase costs, but consumer preference has trended away from fuel efficient vehicles amid low gasoline prices. Environmentalists, on the other hand, say the regulations would result in a reduction of fuel costs as well as greenhouse gases, and some reportedly have promised to sue if the regulations are weakened.

Despite confirming Trump plans to visit Michigan, a White House official reportedly did not reveal details of the trip.

Thumbnail photo via Flickr/Gage Skidmore