Amanda Linehan
Communications Director
617-933-0705
[email protected]
For Immediate Release: Thursday, April 2, 2020
The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) today issued a statement responding to weakened fuel efficiency standards announced by the Trump administration.
“MAPC strongly opposes fuel efficiency rollbacks that will imperil people’s health, our environment, and the economy of our region, state, and country,” said MAPC Deputy Director Rebecca Davis.
“Reversing course on efficiency and greenhouse gas emission requirements also reverses course on all the benefits they bring. The Trump administration’s decision to roll back fuel efficiency standards will pollute the air we breathe, exacerbate climate change, and increase spending on gasoline. Vulnerable communities—people of color, low-income families, older adults and children, and those with existing health problems—will be disproportionately affected by asthma and other health effects.
“With this decision, the Trump administration is thinking backward instead of forward: our country has the opportunity to becoming a global leader, advancing a new economy and workforce centered on clean vehicle technologies. As we address the current COVID-19 crisis, we need to think about our recovery as an opportunity to transform our industries to prepare for the challenges of our rapidly-changing climate.
“Many of the cities and towns in our region are already preparing for the challenges of the future: installing electric vehicle changing stations, setting greenhouse gas emissions reductions goals, and making plans to adapt to rising seas, warming temperatures, and larger storms. Adding more carbon to the atmosphere through vehicle emissions will make these efforts more necessary and increase future costs for municipalities that have to deal with the impacts on the ground.”