President Donald Trump announced he is rescinding a 2013 waiver that allowed California to set its own standards for automobile emissions.
In a tweet, Trump claimed the move will make cars cheaper and safer for the consumer.
He added that, “Many more cars will be produced under the new and uniform standard, meaning significantly more JOBS, JOBS, JOBS!”
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said Tuesday he plans to file a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from revoking the waiver.
“It’s time to remove your blinders, President Trump, and acknowledge that the only person standing in the way of progress is you,” he said in a statement. “You have no basis and no authority to pull this waiver. We’re ready to fight for a future that you seem unable to comprehend; we’ll see you in court if you stand in our way.”
Conservatives and supporters of deregulation viewed the waiver as overstepping the state’s authority, believing that automakers were strong-armed into standardizing their cars to comply with California’s stricter laws, as opposed to the federal regulations.
While speaking to the National Automobile Dealers Association, Andrew Wheeler, an EPA administrator said, “We embrace federalism and the role of the states, but federalism does not mean that one state can dictate standards for the nation.”
Thirteen states and the District of Columbia had adopted California’s stricter greenhouse gas laws: Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine. Those states make up 36 percent of U.S. auto sales, and all except Pennsylvania voted blue in 2016.
“The president could learn from California,” Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-California) said in a statement. “Instead, reports today suggest that his administration will act on a political vendetta by announcing they intend to end aspects of our clean car waiver.”
California recently reached a deal with Ford and three other car makers to continue to lower their vehicles’ emissions, which prompted an anti-trust investigation from the Justice Department and a Twitter argument between Trump and Newsom.
Trump tweeted on Aug. 21 that “Henry Ford would be very disappointed if he saw his modern-day descendants wanting to build a much more expensive car, that is far less safe and doesn’t work as well, because execs don’t want to fight California regulators.”
Newsom responded saying, “NEWSFLASH: This is about an iconic American company maintaining America’s leadership in the global economy. While ALSO saving consumers BILLIONS at the pump.”
He added, “Enviro protection, innovation, & econ growth DO go hand in hand. CA gets it. Ford gets it. Rest of the world gets it.”
Trump’s decision highlighted the ongoing struggle between his administration and the largely democratic California, asserting federal power over the state that tends to challenge his authority.
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