May 1st, 2018 by WCBC Radio

Maryland, along with 16 other states and the District of Columbia, is suing President Donald Trump's administration, demanding it leave in place vehicle emissions standards adopted under President Barack Obama.

The Environmental Protection Agency last month moved to scrap the standards for cars and “light duty” trucks to be sold in model years 2022-2025. The standards would have required the vehicles average more than 50 miles per gallon by 2025.

In announcing the decision to roll back the requirements, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt had called the Obama-era standards “politically charged,” based on poor assumptions, and simply “too high.”

But the states involved in the lawsuit say the decision ignored evidence to support the emissions policy.