When executives from the Big Three automakers went to the White House last spring to ask for more lenient emissions rules, their prospects looked rosy. President Trump seemed eager to roll back regulations, and Scott Pruitt — a friend of industry — was newly in control at the Environmental Protection Agency. Now, automakers are coming to terms with a startling reality: Be careful what you ask of President Trump, because he could go further than you expect. The E.P.A.’s plan, which is likely to be formally launched in coming days, is widely expected to loosen regulations on greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy well beyond what the automakers themselves had sought. That could spark a legal battle between the federal government and California, potentially dividing the United States into two automobile markets, each with a different rule book governing pollution and gas mileage.

Source: New York Times March 31, 2018 00:22 UTC