Washington D.C. In response to the Department of Transportation undermining U.S. fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) and Chispa released the following statements:

“The Trump administration just circumvented public input and quietly undermined a program that has saved families trillions of dollars at the pump in order to benefit fossil fuel executives,” said LCV Vice President of Federal Policy Matthew Davis.  “This attack on fuel-efficiency standards comes at the same time as Republicans in Congress are attempting to pass the anti-environmental billionaire tax scam in which the Senate proposes eliminating penalties for automakers that do not comply with the standards, and the House approved getting rid of the money-saving standards altogether. Either way, consumers would lose out on cost-saving technologies that save them at the gas pump. Congress must overhaul or reject the most anti-environmental bill ever and the Trump administration must be held to account for their actions that prioritize polluters over people.”

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“These assaults on our clean air protections must stop. The undermining of CAFE standards, or fuel economy standards that we fought so hard for, will not go unnoticed. They have saved families trillions of dollars at the pump, and helped keep our air cleaner,” said Chispa Senior Director Estefany Carrasco-González. “Over 26 million people of color live in counties that received failing grades on air quality measures, including some 15.2 million Latinos, according to the American Lung Association. We will not stop fighting for a clean energy economy that protects our planet and our communities. It’s time for our leaders to protect our families, not Big Oil polluters.”

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