The Latest: Trump administration proposes mileage rollback
The Latest on the Trump administration's proposal to roll back Obama-era mileage standards (all times local):
9:55 p.m.
The Trump administration has proposed weakening Obama-era mileage standards designed to make cars more fuel-efficient.
The administration also says it wants to revoke an authority granted California under the half-century-old Clean Air Act to set its own, tougher mileage standards.
The proposed rule could roil the auto industry and weaken one of the federal government's chief weapons against climate change — regulating emissions from cars and other vehicles.
Opponents say the result will be dirtier air and more pollution-related illness and death.
The proposal itself estimates it could cost tens of thousands of jobs — auto workers who deal with making vehicles more fuel-efficient.
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5:12 p.m.
The Trump administration's proposal for freezing U.S. mileage standards estimates that its action could cost tens of thousands of U.S. auto jobs.
The administration's report projects that relaxing auto standards would mean 60,000 fewer auto jobs by 2030. Vehicle expert Simon Mui at the Natural Resources Defense Council says those losses would hit the estimated 200,000 U.S. auto-industry jobs that deal with making vehicles more fuel efficient.
President Donald Trump had called last year for a review of mileage standards, expressing concern they were hurting employment in the U.S. auto industry.
A U.S. Department of Transportation spokesperson calls the government's estimate of job losses "rough approximations." The government says it will seek public comment for a broader picture of the impact of any mileage freeze.
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12:15 p.m.
Attorneys general from 19 states and the District of Columbia say they'll go to court to stop a proposed rollback in mileage standards.
California and New York are among the states signing on to a statement Thursday pledging legal action against the Trump administration's action on fuel efficiency.
The group of attorneys general says in a statement that relaxing the nation's mileage standards will make Americans "breathe dirtier air and pay higher prices at the pumps."
The Trump administration says it wants to freeze mileage standards at 2020 levels. The administration argues that should make new cars cheaper, and get newer, safer cars on the roads quicker as a result.
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8:40 a.m.
The Trump administration is proposing to roll back tougher Obama-era gas mileage requirements that are set to take effect after 2020.
The administration also wants to revoke the authority of California and other states to set their own, stricter mileage standards — independent of federal ones.
Thursday's proposal would freeze an effort by the Obama administration intended to promote auto fuel efficiency and curb tailpipe emissions of climate-changing pollutants.
The Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement that relaxing mileage standards in the years ahead would give "the American people greater access to safer, more affordable vehicles that are cleaner for the environment."