BOSTON (Legal Newsline) — Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey has joined a coalition of states in opposing President Trump’s action directing federal agencies to reconsider vehicle emission standards.
“President Trump’s action represents a dramatic wrong turn in our nation’s efforts to fight air pollution from passenger cars and trucks, and protect the health of our children, seniors, and all communities,” the March 15 statement said.
According to the statement, the weakening of standards would undercut efforts to combat pollution from vehicle emissions. The Environmental Protection Agency has conducted extensive studies on the issue and found that the current standards are economically achievable by the auto industry, the attorneys general said. The statement claims that lessening the standards would increase air pollution responsible for premature death, asthma and other diseases.
“We will vigorously oppose attempts by the Trump administration to weaken our vehicle emission policies and put our public health at risk, and we won’t hesitate to stand up for the right of our states to adopt stricter pollution standards that provide critical protections to the health of our residents and our environmental resources,” the statement said.
Massachusetts joined New York, Maine, Maryland, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington State and the District of Columbia, as well as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection, in the statement.