Trump's EPA cuts a 'short-sighted' step backward, Mich. congresswoman says

DETROIT -- Cuts to the EPA in President Donald Trump's proposed budget plan could shutter an Ann Arbor, Mich., vehicle emissions testing lab and put 435 employees out of work, according to the congresswoman whose district includes the lab.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., on Monday toured the National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory, where employees conduct research that helps set vehicle emissions and fuel economy standards. Dingell attempted to tour the site back in April, but was denied access.

"This is extremely troubling and raises serious questions about the executive branch closing access to government facilities and preventing members of congress from conducting necessary oversight," Dingell wrote in an April 19 letter to the president that described the EPA cuts as a "misguided idea."

Trump's proposed budget calls for a 31 percent cut to the EPA, the biggest cut of any federal agency, according to reports. Dingell said that would mean the NEVL's staff would be cut by half and its operating funds slashed by more than 90 percent.

The testing site is the only one of its kind in the country, and its work has helped create catalytic converters, vehicle microprocessors and unleaded gas. It also certifies thousands of vehicles a year for emissions compliance, and a closure could hamper how automakers bring vehicles to market, advocates argue.

“All I saw today just confirmed for me what happens here every single day, and how important the work is,” Dingell said in front of dozens of protestors, including former and current EPA employees as well as former UAW President Bob King. “The work you do here every single day keeps our air clean to breathe and our nation on the cutting edge. It is the world’s premiere environmental compliance and transportation research center.”

"The administration's proposed cuts to EPA's fuel economy and vehicle emissions budget is short-sighted and would create uncertainty, cost jobs and potentially destroy our country's competitive edge in this important field," Dingell said in a statement.

"The more than 400 employees at the Ann Arbor lab do critical work every day to reduce vehicle emissions and ensure that the U.S. remains at the forefront of innovation. We can't afford to lose these jobs, and we also can't afford to halt the government's work on creating more fuel efficient vehicles and lowering overall emissions, which benefit consumers, the auto industry and the environment."

The lab's work is central to an Obama-era mandate that automakers raise average fuel economy and cut back on emissions by 2025. Trump in March visited Michigan to announce he was reopening a midterm review of those standards.

Critics believe the administration will relax or rescind the policy, which automakers have complained is out-of-touch with market realities like cheap gas prices and the public's reluctance to embrace electrified vehicles.

Dingell toured the site with officials from the American Federation of Government Employees, the union that represents EPA workers.

“The administration really went at the budget with a sledgehammer,” said Mark Coryell, president of AFGE Local 3907. “I’ve seen my share of budget proposals and it’s usually about finding efficiencies. This isn’t about finding efficiencies, this is about affecting the ability of this office to do its job.”