EPA administrator Scott Pruitt announced revisions to vehicle fuel emissions standards Tuesday, a day after the Trump administration announced its intentions to roll back signature Obama-era greenhouse gas and fuel emissions standards for cars and light trucks. Pruitt is made the announcement in Chantilly, Va., not far from D.C., with his comments capped on either end by automotive executives.
Pruitt said in a statement that the emissions determination made by President Obama’s EPA was “wrong” and that the agency was still working to determine “appropriate standards.”
“Obama’s EPA cut the midterm evaluation process short with politically charged expediency, made assumptions about the standards that didn’t comport with reality and set the standards too high,” Pruitt wrote in a statement.
Mr. Trump has long teased Pruitt’s plans to roll back Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards (CAFE), a move expected to be welcomed by automakers.
Tuesday’s event will also mark the first public event for Pruitt after weekend reports exposed possible ethics violations by the administrator. It was revealed Pruitt rented a condo in D.C. from an energy lobbyist for just $50 a day. Democrats have asked the EPA Inspector General to look into the agreement, which has put Pruitt in the spotlight.
CBS News’ Jacqueline Alemany contributed to this report.
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