Reports: Trump administration to pull plug on Clean Car negotiations

Environment America

WASHINGTON, D.C — Wire reports indicate that today, the Trump administration will officially abandon negotiations on the Clean Car Standards, which allow California and other states to set more stringent emissions guidelines. This decision signals the federal government’s intention to move forward with its original goal of rolling back our nation’s best climate program.

Environment America and its state affiliates, including Environment California, have worked for decades to implement strong standards for tailpipe emissions from cars, buses and trucks. California began regulating emissions from cars long before the federal government to combat the smog that enveloped its cities in the ‘60s. Thirteen additional states, most recently Colorado, have adopted California’s strong emission standards. Neighboring New Mexico is preparing to enact similar regulations.

Environment America’s senior director of global warming solutions Andrea McGimsey and Environment California state director Dan Jacobson released the following statements:

“Americans innovated the mass production of cars, and we’ve been at the forefront of auto technology ever since — including how to make them cleaner. With the threat of climate change looming ever larger, we must accelerate toward low and zero-emission cars and trucks, not swerve in the opposite direction,” said McGimsey.

“By setting stronger standards for the millions of cars, SUVs and pickup trucks on our roads, California is taking the necessary action to protect Americans from dirty air and an increasingly unstable climate. It is unconscionable for the Trump administration to get in the way of that progress, and we stand with the 20 attorneys general taking legal action to support the standards,” added Jacobson.