Written by Nicholas Vetrisek
Automakers, the likes of which include General Motors, Fiat Chrysler, and Toyota, are siding with the Trump administration in a lawsuit regarding whether California is allowed to set its own carbon emissions standards for vehicles.
The primary reason for this alliance is the fact that automakers want one consistent standard nationwide which they were hoping could be negotiated between President Trump and California. Due to negotiations breaking down between the two, however, Trump has decided to revoke California’s legal authority to create its own standard.
According to John Bozzella, CEO of Global Automakers and spokesman for the coalition, “The certainty of one national program, with reasonable, achievable standards, is the surest way to reduce emissions in the timeliest manner. With our industry facing the possibility of multiple, overlapping and inconsistent standards that drive up costs and penalize consumers, we had an obligation to intervene.”
The reason for the administration’s desire to freeze standards from 2021 to 2025 is that according to them, by 2025, the average car will cost $2,700 less. Environmentalists, however, dispute this by saying that a car in 2026 with miles per gallon (mpg) standards set at the 2021 required level of 30 mpg will cost $3,300 more during its lifetime—as opposed to the proposed 2025 level of 36 mpg.
Hopefully, with the support of automakers, the Trump administration will be able to win the lawsuit and create a universal standard that keeps carbon emission requirements consistent across the country.
