Statement of Dylan Voorhees, Climate & Clean Energy Director, Natural Resources Council of Maine
“President Trump has proposed rolling back pollution and efficiency standards for new cars and trucks. This would be bad news for Maine.
“Since Maine has one of the highest asthma rates in the nation, air pollution is a big issue. And cars and trucks are one of the biggest sources of air pollution. The President’s announcement today directing EPA to rollback vehicle standards for future cars and trucks will threaten the health of Maine people and our economy.”
“Rolling back efficiency improvements and pollution limits for cars and trucks will mean more air pollution and asthma attacks, higher fuel costs for Maine families, and accelerated climate change. Cars and trucks are the number one source of climate pollution.
“Maine is one of America’s most oil-dependent states. Increasing vehicle fuel efficiency is especially important to protect Maine residents from high and volatile gas prices. Maine has begun to increase its use of electric vehicles (EV) and installation of EV charging stations, including under leadership from Governor LePage. Directing car makers to slow the development and sales of clean EVs will harm those efforts.
“The Trump Administration’s latest action would mean Mainers will drive less efficient cars in the future than if the existing carefully-crafted standards were left in place. This will be bad news for our wallets, oil dependency, air pollution, and climate.
“In addition, Maine is especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including rising sea levels flooding coastal towns, smog from upwind states fueling our high asthma rates, fast-warming waters in the Gulf of Maine harming our fisheries, and warmer weather challenging our economy from skiing to maple syrup to lobstering.
“We applaud Maine’s Senators Collins and King for their repeated statements in support of the EPA’s power to limit climate-changing pollution. We are counting on Maine’s senators to continue defending the health of Maine people, our nature-based economy, and safeguards for the clean air and clean water that define our state.”
