Governor Wolf: Trump Fuel Economy Rollback Betrays PA Consumers, Workers

August 02, 2018

Harrisburg, PA – Today, Governor Tom Wolf issued the following statement on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Trump Administration’s rolling back of current fuel efficiency standards, which is projected to increase costs for Pennsylvanians on gasoline:

“Once again, the Trump Administration is siding with big oil and gas companies over families in Pennsylvania. Today’s decision will mean small business owners paying more to transport their goods and get to job sites and families paying more to drive to work or their child’s school. This decision flies in the face of what’s best for consumers and the environment. The EPA’s action to weaken fuel economy standards hurts Pennsylvania’s consumers, workers, and everyone who wants to breathe cleaner air. Fuel economy standards are lowering gas bills, spurring innovation to create jobs, keeping air cleaner, and creating demand for cleaner domestic energy and renewable technology.

“The current standards have led to the development of new technologies, manufacturing innovation, and new jobs throughout the U.S., while reducing consumer costs at the gas pump. These standards were developed with substantial public input and rely on scientific evidence to promote advanced vehicle technologies and reduce air pollution, while saving Pennsylvanians at the pump. Pure and simple, this is a betrayal of the same people the President claims he is fighting for.

“Thanks to the Clean Car Standards, the 2018 Ford F-150 gets better gas mileage than a 2010 Taurus. At a time when advanced manufacturers are expanding in Pennsylvania and more than 7,500 workers in the state are employed in manufacturing the high-tech components of these vehicles and developing the next generation of vehicle technologies, we need to encourage innovation, not turn back the clock.”