Have you heard the news? Yesterday, automakers Toyota, General Motors, Fiat Chrysler and several others announced they’re siding with President Trump in his effort to strip California of its ability to regulate tailpipe emissions.
That’s right, as California is ablaze with wildfires made worse by the climate crisis, these automakers are selfishly making matters worse by joining Trump in a lawsuit that could prevent California and nearly two dozen other states (like Vermont) from regulating tailpipe pollution as they have for years under the Clean Air Act.
According to the New York Times, “The Obama-era national fuel economy standard requires automakers to build vehicles that achieve an average fuel economy of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, which would eliminate about six billion tons of carbon dioxide pollution over the lifetime of those vehicles.”
California is leading the charge to essentially keep these standards in place in about half of the states. Trump, Toyota, GM and others are suing to keep cars dirtier.
But not all carmakers are the same. Some are doing the right thing.
This past July, Honda, Ford, Volkswagen and BMW all struck an agreement with California to follow more stringent emissions standards. This is a good thing for public health and the planet. And such a split among major automakers is rare, to say the least.
This would be a great time to let GM, Toyota, Fiat Chrysler, Nissan, Hyundai and Kia know how you feel about their siding with the president in favor of dirtier air and more climate pollution.
Use this link to Tweet at Toyota, GM, and Fiat Chrysler to share your thoughts.