Automakers Attack States’ Authority to Curb Climate Pollution

WASHINGTON – Automakers including General Motors, Toyota, and Chrysler’s parent FCA joined a lawsuit in support of the Trump administration’s effort to strip California and other states of their long-held authority to address climate change by setting clean car standards.

Automakers had claimed they wanted a compromise between state and federal officials to avoid litigation and the business uncertainty that comes with it. Now they have split, with one faction siding with the Trump administration’s all-out attack.   

The following is a statement from David Doniger, senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council:

“These automakers have dropped the mask of compromise in favor of an all-out war against the authority California and other states have to curb carbon pollution from cars and trucks.

“NRDC is fighting the illegal Trump rollback because it would increase the pollution fueling climate change, threaten our health – and cost drivers billions more at the gas pump.

“The automakers lost this fight in court a dozen years ago; they will lose again now. And when automakers complain about regulatory uncertainty, they will have only themselves to blame.”

Further details are available in David’s blog: “Why Trump’s Dirty Cars Gambit Will Lose in Court.”

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The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.​