Document wKQ6D4nB3JbyMR5JLyBnmDjyo

UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY WASHINGTON, D C 20460 May 15,2017 THE ADMINISTRATOR Thank you for your recent correspondence. It is an honor and privilege to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Promoting and protecting a strong and healthy environment is one of government's lifeblood priorities, and the EPA is vital to that mission. I look forward to working with the agency's dedicated employees, stakeholders and our state partners on a shared vision to protect our environment for future generations. We as an agency will always strive to strike a balance between protecting our water, air and natural resources and building our economy. We do not have to choose between them. Our nation has a stellar history of protecting our natural resources and our environment while also respecting economic growth and jobs, and we will continue to do that. Among my top priorities are improving America's water infrastructure and focusing on the EPA's core mission of protecting our nation's air, water and land. We need to shape the work of the EPA by setting national standards and finding neighborhood solutions. We will also strive for regulatory certainty so regulated industries will know exactly what is expected of them. I am a firm believer in the EPA's mission to protect human health and the environment and look forward to the opportunity to help provide future generations with a better and healthier environment. I hope you will follow our efforts by visiting www.epa.gov to learn more about the EPA's work and what you can do to help us achieve solid results. Like you, I want cleaner and more efficient vehicles, but I also want to ensure that the EPA follows the letter of the law and the required regulatory process. The EPA has authority to regulate vehicle emissions while the U.S. Department of Transportation has authority to set corporate average fuel economy standards for vehicles. In 2012, the EPA and DOT issued a joint rule setting standards for model year 2017-2025 cars and light trucks that also required the EPA to review the standards for 2022-2025 vehicles by April 2018. Despite this specific timeframe, EPA issued its review in January 2017 without consulting DOT. By prematurely issuing its review more than a year before it was required to do so, the EPA also dismissed critical information and public input. On March 15, 2017, DOT Secretary Elaine Chao and I announced a collaborative reconsideration of the prior administration's review and internet Address (URL) http //www epa gov Recycled/Recyclable Printed with Vegetable O l Based Inks on 100% Postconsumer Process Chlorine Free Recycled Paper committed to issue a new review based on robust public input and data, in accordance with the 2012 rule, by April 2018. On behalf of everyone at the EPA, I thank you for your interest in our work and your support for protecting the environment.