Maine Attorney General Janet Mills told a national conference call that if the Environmental Protection Agency rolls back standards on greenhouse gas emissions from cars, several states, including Maine, are ready to sue.
The current rules were adopted in January, and Mills said they strike the right balance between achieving cleaner air and being cost effective.
“The standards set by the secretary, just in January of this year, are reasonable, they are cost effective, they comply with fuel savings and auto safety,” she said.
Mills joined several groups in opposing hearings being held this week to weaken those standards. She said federal law is clear, and that if the EPA moves to weaken the standards, Maine and other states will sue to block such changes.
“We are of the firm belief that changing these regulations, unfounded, unsupported by any relevant evidence, would violate the federal laws. Laws require that these standards be in place,” she said.
