skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

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

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Will New EPA Chief Continue Rollback of Clean Car Standards?

play audio
Play

Monday, July 9, 2018   

DES MOINES, Iowa — At the Environmental Protection Agency, a new acting administrator takes over for Scott Pruitt today. But big regulatory rollbacks that Pruitt set in motion - including vehicle mileage standards - are still a major concern for environmental groups and others.

The Obama-era standards required new cars and light trucks built after 2025 to get about 50 miles per gallon. That would mean going twice as far on a gallon of gas as they do now, and eliminating 6 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

Iowa State Sen. Rob Hogg, a Cedar Rapids Democrat, has advocated for clean, renewable energy, and said clean car standards are important for the environment, national security and drivers.

"And the reason is because economically, we need people to use less oil to keep oil prices down so we can have a strong economy,” Hogg said.

Assistant EPA chief - and former coal-industry lobbyist - Andrew Wheeler succeeds Pruitt, who resigned amid allegations of multiple ethics violations.

The agency has said meeting the standards would make new vehicles less affordable. But Iowa is one of 17 states, as well as the District of Columbia, that filed a lawsuit against the EPA, calling the rollback "arbitrary and capricious." Together, the plaintiffs represent more than 40 percent of the U.S. population.

Iowans are paying around 50 cents more per gallon of gas this summer than they were a year ago. That's a red flag for Sen. Hogg, who believes a run-up in gas prices contributed to the Great Recession of 2008, when some Americans had to choose between paying for gas to get to work or paying their mortgage.

He said revoking the standards that were already adopted puts America's economic and political future at risk by continuing U.S. dependence on fossil fuel.

"If the Trump administration rolls those standards back and actually completes this process, that will be very bad for the United States and for the people of this country,” Hogg said.

Under Pruitt's leadership, the EPA also said it would challenge California's law that requires cars sold in the state to abide by stricter, state-imposed air pollution rules. Last month, Colorado became the 14th state to adopt its own clean-car program.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

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