The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is trying one last time to stop the Obama administration from imposing tougher fuel economy standards by asking Congress to block the effort, Reuters news agency reported.

The Auto Alliance wants lawmakers to include a provision in the short-term spending bill that would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from finalizing the standards, which would require manufacturers to increase the average fuel efficiency of vehicles sold in the U.S. to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. The current standard is roughly 35 miles per gallon.

A halt now means the issue would spill into the incoming Trump administration. President-elect Donald Trump has criticized the standards in the past along with a host of other environmental regulations. However, any efforts to overturn the fuel economy regulations by Trump would likely be met by lawsuits from environmentalists.

"EPA's sudden and controversial move to propose auto regulations eight months early—even after Congress warned agencies about taking such steps while political appointees were packing their bags—calls out for congressional action to pause this rulemaking until a thoughtful policy review can occur," Auto Alliance spokeswoman Gloria Bergquist told Reuters.

An EPA spokesman declined comment when contacted by the news agency about the proposed bill amendment. http://reut.rs/2gzwTAO

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