EPA Seeks to Roll Back Certain Emission Standards

A Los Angeles lemon law lawyer can help car buyers who purchase vehicles that turn out to have problems. Unfortunately, cars are released on the market too frequently even when they have serious issues. Not only that, but used car buyers may be sold “certified,” pre-owned vehicles without even being informed that there is an open recall on the car so the vehicle has defective parts that haven't been replaced.

There are a lot of reasons why cars can have such serious problems, but one issue may be that regulations do not go far enough to protect consumers. There are regulations on many different aspects of vehicles, although regulations on one important issue – vehicle emissions – are now being rolled back. 

Vehicle Emissions Standards are Being Rolled Back

Washington Post recently wrote about the efforts underway to rollback a consumer protection law related to vehicles.  The efforts that are underway aim to revoke emissions standards for new vehicles that were put into place by the Obama Administration.

The emissions regulations that President Obama had proposed would have required both cars and light trucks to get an average of more than 50 miles per gallon by 2025. This an aggressive standard and it could change the composition of vehicle fleets at auto dealerships in big ways as more efficient vehicles are produced and sold in greater numbers to offset gas-guzzling vehicles while maintaining the 50 miles per gallon averages.

The standard put in place by the Obama administration was set in consultation with the state of California, where a substantial number of the nation's vehicles are sold and where there have historically been severe smog problems.  The Clean Air Act gives California authority to establish its own vehicle emission limits, and more than a third of car makers in the United States follow the standards set forth by California. Other federal officials and lawmakers were also involved in the establishment of the emissions standards.

However, there has long been a push to revise and rollback these emissions limits, which the EPA has now announced it will be rolling back. “The Obama administration’s determination was wrong,” said Scott Pruitt, the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator in a statement.

The EPA under Pruitt has not indicated what new emission standards will be put in place to replace the stringent standards that thee Obama administration had set. The EPA administrator also indicated that California's special carve-out giving the state authority to set its own stricter standards is currently being reconsidered.

Whether the rollback of emissions standards take place or not, there will still be millions of inefficient and perhaps even dangerous vehicles on the road. A Los Angeles lemon law lawyer can help if your new vehicle turns out to be dangerous and causes you to experience risks on the road. You should contact an attorney for help as soon as you begin experiencing problems with your car so you can better understand your legal rights and the process of pursuing appropriate remedies.