SALEM, Ore. — Oregon has joined a multi-state lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging rollbacks of the nation's car emission standards. Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum announced the suit in a statement on Wednesday.
“This is yet another example of the federal government protecting big oil and big polluters over the wishes of states like Oregon that prioritize protecting our environment,” said Rosenblum. “By eliminating the Clean Car Standards, the federal government is turning back years of hard work meant to reduce carbon emissions and save families money. Oregonians are proud of our legacy of fighting for our environment and, along with many other states, for the well-being of our planet.”

The lawsuit challenges a final rule from administration — dubbed the Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient Vehicles (SAFE) rule — that alters standards set in 2010. The Trump administration said that the SAFE rule will "continue our nation's progress toward energy independence and carbon dioxide reduction, while recognizing the realities of the marketplace and consumers' interest in purchasing vehicles that meet all of their diverse needs."
Oregon joins 22 other states, the District of Columbia, and several major cities in the suit, alleging that the SAFE rule violates the Clean Air Act, the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, and the Administrative Procedure Act.
In September, Oregon also joined a suit against the Trump administration after it set out on lowering car emissions standards while trying to prohibit the state of California from keeping its own, higher standards.
Car manufacturers had previously been on track to meet the progressive emissions standards set in 2010, but the Trump administration determined in 2017 that those standards were not feasible.
"On March 31, 2020, the Trump Administration announced it was rolling back the Clean Car Standards," Rosenblum's office said. "The final rule takes aim at the corporate average fuel efficiency standards, requiring automakers to make only minimal improvements to fuel economy — 1.5 percent annually instead of the previously annual increase of approximately 5 percent. The rule also guts the requirements to reduce vehicles’ greenhouse gas emissions."
The lawsuit was filed in the Washington D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday.