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U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) today held a press conference with leadership of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), who represent workers at the EPA, to speak out against proposed budget cuts to the U.S. EPA National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory (NVFEL) in Ann Arbor. Dingell toured the facility today at a time when the EPA faces severe cuts to their budget and staffing levels, which she noted in a letter to President Trump last month. The proposed budget by the administration threatens to shut down NVFEL’s operations at the Ann Arbor EPA facility, which employs 435 people.

“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,” said Dingell. “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. This vital work must go forward, which is why I will continue to work with my colleagues, the union and all stakeholders to stop these misguided cuts.”

“Thank you to Rep. Dingell for once again standing with the Environmental Protection Agency and the working people who keep it running,” said AFGE Local 3907 President Mark Coryell. “Our job is to safeguard community health in this country by ensuring that Americans have clean air to breathe and safe water to drink. Unfortunately, budgetary cuts proposed by the Administration will severely undermine our ability to continue protecting both. As we face an uphill battle to fully fund the agency, we appreciate the support from members of Congress who see the value of what we do and continue to fight for us going forward.”

The NVFEL is a state of the art facility that is an integral part of EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ). Work at the lab is conducted by highly trained and experienced staff with backgrounds in engineering, chemistry, toxicology, law, and economics. Their research, testing, analysis and technological studies provide critical background for the establishment and monitoring of both fuel economy and vehicle emission standards. Strong standards like the ones in place today will save consumers money at the pump, reduce emissions and drive innovation in the industry. Yet all of these gains could be eliminated if EPA stopped their critical work in this area. 

President Trump’s proposed budget would drastically cut EPA’s OTAQ budget, which could reduce NVFEL staff by 50 percent and operating funds by over 90 percent, and threatens to shut down the Ann Arbor facility altogether.