skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, November 22, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump announces Pam Bondi of FL as new attorney general pick, hours after Matt Gaetz withdraws; House passes bill targeting nonprofits in NY and nation; NM researcher studies why pedestrian and bicyclist deaths are on the rise; Researchers link better outcomes to MN adoption reforms.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump has a new pick for Attorney General, his incoming "border czar" warns local Democratic officials not to impede mass deportation, and the House passes legislation that could target any nonprofit group accused of supporting terrorism.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The CDC has a new plan to improve the health of rural Americans, updated data could better prepare folks for flash floods like those that devastated Appalachia, and Native American Tribes could play a key role in the nation's energy future.

AG, Health Advocates Oppose Fuel-Efficiency Rollback

play audio
Play

Friday, August 3, 2018   

HARRISBURG, Pa. – State leaders and health advocates say the EPA's plan to freeze the fuel efficiency standard is bad for public health, the environment and consumers.

After months of wrangling, the EPA Thursday released its plan to freeze the fuel-efficiency standards for cars and light trucks for six years. It was set to increase to an average of 54 mpg by 2025 but will remain at about 35, the standard set for 2020.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro says the state will be joining 19 other states in suing to stop the plan.

"Our state Constitution says that we have a right to clean air and pure water, and that is something that I fight to protect each and every day," he says. "We strongly oppose the Trump Administration's plan to roll back these clean-car standards."

The administration claims freezing the fuel standard will cut more than $2,000 off the price of new cars and result in fewer highway deaths, but opponents contest those findings.

Although more fuel-efficient cars may cost more, consumers make it up through savings on gas by 2030.

According to Doctor Walter Tsou, the executive director of Philadelphia Physicians for Social Responsibility, increasing the fuel-efficiency standard also cuts back on auto emissions, which are major contributors to smog and air pollution.

"If we roll that back, we're going to continue to burn gasoline in our cars and we're encouraging these gas guzzlers, and all that air pollution is going to exacerbate asthma and other respiratory illnesses," he warns.

Tsou believes moving away from vehicles that rely on fossil fuel entirely would stimulate significant job growth in every state, including Pennsylvania.

"The world is moving toward electric vehicles," he adds. "We should be investing in electric charging infrastructure for this state so that more and more people are ready for the future."

The EPA plan also eliminates California's right to set higher mileage requirements than those of the EPA. Pennsylvania and about a dozen other states now use the higher California standard.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The smoking rate among adults in Maryland is 9.6%, much lower than the national average of 12.9%. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A new report on lung cancer by the American Lung Association showed Maryland has quite a bit of room to improve diagnoses and treatment but experts sa…


Social Issues

play sound

La Niña is bringing a cooler, wetter winter to Oregon and likely driving up heating bills as systems work harder. This is the third year of …

Environment

play sound

The number of pedestrians and bicyclists killed on roadways in the U.S. has nearly doubled in the past 12 years and a New Mexico researcher wants to …


Social Issues

play sound

CLARIFICATION: We updated language to clarify the timing for when the study's authors began tracking certain outcome measures for children within the …

Health and Wellness

play sound

By Kyla Russell for WISH-TV.Broadcast version by Joe Ulery for Indiana News Service reporting for the WISH-TV-Free Press Indiana-Public News Service C…

Social Issues

play sound

A recent study from Florida Atlantic University highlights a concerning rise in alcohol-related deaths across the United States, with mortality rates …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021