California Among 23 States Suing Trump Over Fuel Economy Standards
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Yesterday, we reported on President Trump’s move to revoke California’s right to set its own fuel economy standards. Now, as predicted, California is firing back with a slew of legal challenges, recruiting 22 other states in the fight.
In 2013, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the California Air Resources Board (CARB) a waiver that allowed the state to set its own rules with regard to air quality control and fuel economy standards. California put into place stricter guidelines than those at the federal level, effectively creating two different standards for the U.S. Yesterday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and EPA issued the “One National Program Rule,” thus withdrawing the waiver granted in 2013.
While the NHTSA’s action will not take effect for 60 days, California is already ramping up legal challenges.
Governor Gavin Newsom said that California “will hold the line in court to defend our children’s health, save consumers money at the pump and protect our environment.”
Meanwhile, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra referred to a 2007 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that countered the National Transportation Safety Board’s argument that greenhouse gas emission standards under the Clear Air Act were in conflict with fuel economy standards as set by the NTSB.
“The Oval Office is really not a place for on-the-job training,” Becerra said. “President Trump should have at least read the instruction manual he inherited when he assumed the Presidency, in particular the chapter on respecting the Rule of Law.”
Attorneys general from Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin joined California in the lawsuit, as did the cities of New York and Los Angeles, plus the District of Columbia.
Thirteen states currently follow California’s lead with regard to stricter fuel economy standards and emissions laws. These 14 states account for some 40 percent of U.S. vehicle sales.
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Source: Associated Press
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Stay in school. Study hard. Become a lawyer, and you’ll never be out of work. And if you don’t I’ll sue you.
these states don’t fully appreciate the power of the presidential sharpie.
They do, and that is why they can sue him (and take away his Sharpie).
the presidential sharpie has the power to control hurricanes!!!!
Bet most of them are Democratic.
That means that they are States with intelligent voters!
Proud to live in a state that doesn’t spread eagle for big oil. Embarrassed for the apologists who don’t care about the children and the planet.
I am also proud of my home State New York and its great Governor Cuomo. New Yorkers know that gasoline emissions is harming them, so we will sue the POTUS. He forgets that he is also a New Yorker, so we may have to disavow him.
California initially created the higher fuel standards as a result of the intense smog in LA. That was a a result of city planning by Californias that was built around a car. They deserve credit in getting us to where we are, but the feds should set the threshold for cars, albeit ones built in California and sold there CA can control. But this is all a moot point, CA could increase their gas tax to achieve same result, or just wait the few years where every carmaker is going to throw electric cars our way and once people own them, they won’t go back.
“albeit ones built in California and sold there CA can control”. Increasing the cost of manufacturing which is passed down to the consumer. The whole point of having one nationwide standard.
As far as “The Oval Office is really not a place for on-the-job training,”. Is the Attorney General speaking from experience?
https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-attorney-general-debates-20180515-story.html
The Tariff man might fix that problem and put some tariffs on it…they are fun and so easy to win….
One has to wonder why any Administration would want to Roll Back emissions at all. Isn’t the point of Technology to keep getting better? I wonder who really is behind all of this. Also, people need to get over the whole Global Warming thing. Some believe it is real and some simply believe it is not. The main point everyone is missing and especially neither Political Party is stating or wants to talk about is the following….whether we like it or not, ALL vehicles soon will be EV’s. I believe Europe is by 2035 and China by 2030. So that means that any NEW car sold there will only be allowed to be sold if it is a Pure EV. So ask yourselves this….If Europe and China go pure EV in the short Future, what do you think our Home Guys will have to do as well? Does anyone here think that it will make sense for GM to be spending R&D for two completely different vehicles in the same segments? Yeah in the short Term they can for some higher Margin vehicles like Luxury and Pickup Trucks. But not for a vehicle like say a Trax size vehicle. It is the inevitable.
EV’s will have so many advanced Tech that ICE cars will not be able to compete. The people will migrate because Tech sells. Big Oil can keep paying off Politicians all they want but it will be mostly over for them in the short future. They will still make crazy profits but just not what they are today.
On a side note, my thing is if any Politician tells me that we need to Go Backwards in Technology, they are getting Paid off by someone. Nobody would ever think going Backwards in Tech makes any sense at all. Doesn’t matter which Political Party we all believe in. Both are obviously Paid off by Big Oil.
The East and West edges of our country need to remember EV’s are great, but not a “fits all” solution. There are huge swaths of our heartland where temperatures get too cold at times to sustain chemical battery life span and range. Also distances and loads are too large to not have a mix of hydrogen FC and ICE engines to keep our transportation portfolio diverse and protected from succeptability.
I live in a Cold climate as well. I have talked at least four friends into a Tesla and none have a single issue with winter range. EV range goes down when cold outside just like your MPG’s go down as well. The main difference is that an EV loses more percentage wise when cold. Once Gas stations offer Super Charging Stations everywhere, EV’s will overtake ICE vehicles. Not everyone has the Luxury to charge daily at home.
It is closer than we actually think. Once Tesla, Rivian, Ford, and Hopefully GM show that EV Trucks will work, then it will be Good Night to ICE at a quicker pace than any of us can wrap our minds around it.