Trump to revoke California’s authority to set tougher vehicle emissions

Today President Trump has announced that he will revoke California’s power to set more ambitious vehicle emissions standards than the federal government.

Although California will almost certainly challenge the move in court, the roll back would mean that no state could set more stringent vehicle emissions standards than those of the federal government.

Responding to the news, Amy Davidsen, Executive Director, North America at international non-profit The Climate Group, said:

“This revocation would constitute a huge backwards step from the federal government at a time when air pollution has become a global public health crisis.

“This short-sighted move will not deter California and other US states from adopting ambitious measures to reduce carbon pollution, and it is good to see major automakers publicly pledging to maintain the current emissions standards.

“As we enter a decade of critical climate action, we need continued, unwavering global leadership and focus from state and regional governments and businesses to keep us on track to limit global warming.”

As a member of the Under2 Coalition of ambitious state and regional governments, for which The Climate Group is Secretariat, California is a global role model for state-level climate action. The state has proactively taken steps to improve air quality and health and met its 2020 emissions reduction target four years early in 2016.

California’s current regulation means automakers must meet more stringent fleet emissions standards by 2025 to limit greenhouse gas emissions. These standards are also adopted by 13 other US states seeking to limit greenhouse gas emissions to improve air quality and tackle climate change.

Former Governor of California Jerry Brown co-founded the Under2 Coalition in 2015, which now includes 12 US states as members, alongside over 220 members globally.

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