EPA sends fuel economy standards rollback to White House

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency has sent the White House a proposal widely expected to roll back future fuel-economy standards for cars and trucks.

EPA spokesman Jahan Wilcox confirmed Thursday that the agency has sent the proposed fuel-economy standards to the Office of Management and Budget review.

The move is one of the required steps before a federal rule is adopted.

Any reduction in U.S. fuel-economy standards would affect the automobile industry globally. A rollback would weaken efforts to curb pollution and climate-changing emissions from vehicle exhaust.

There were no immediate details on the EPA's proposal. But EPA administrator Scott Pruitt had signaled plans for a rollback in Obama-era fuel-economy standards, saying this spring the standards were "too high." The Trump administration calls the rules a burden on automakers.