Dear Mayor Bowser,
The Sierra Club urges you to continue DC's progress on climate change by joining the State of California in its boycott of vehicle purchases from automakers that support the repeal of California’s vehicle fuel emissions waiver. DC has adopted California’s emissions standards, and maintaining the standards is essential if we are to meet emissions reduction goals.
Like DC, California has been a leader in clean energy and carbon emissions reductions. Increasing vehicle fuel economy is an important tool for limiting air pollution and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. According to a study by the U.S. Energy Administration, the transportation sector is now the largest source of carbon dioxide in the United States. The Union of Concerned Scientists reports that cars and trucks account for about 20 percent of all US carbon emissions.
In July 2011, the Obama administration set rules that would restrict tailpipe emissions of carbon dioxide from light-duty vehicles while giving automakers several ways to comply. In 2013, California was granted a waiver allowing it to set its own greenhouse gas and vehicle emissions standards. The California agreement would require auto manufacturers to average 51 miles per gallon across all auto sales by 2026. Thirteen states and the District of Columbia adopted California’s vehicle emissions rules. Some car companies petitioned the Trump Administration to lower the standard. In April 2019, the administration announced that it would freeze mileage standards after 2020, which would hold average fuel economy at just 37 miles per gallon.
In response, in July 2019, California forged a voluntary framework with four automakers—Ford, Honda, BMW and Volkswagen—in which they agreed to pursue annual reductions in GHG emissions, which, while weaker than the Obama administration rules, was a step in the right direction. In September 2019, the EPA revoked California’s waiver. Shortly after this action, California, along with 22 other states and the District of Columbia, filed a lawsuit against the Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), arguing it had exceeded its authority in revoking the state’s waiver. In October 2019, 11 automakers—including General Motors, Toyota, Hyundai, Mazda, Nissan, Kia and Subaru—asked the court to intervene in the litigation. They supported the Trump administration’s push for a weaker fuel economy standard.
Earlier this month, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the state would stop buying vehicles from automakers that have joined with Trump in seeking to strip the state’s authority to set its own emissions standards. Last week, the California Air Resources Board said its board members and staff would not attend the Los Angeles Auto Show for the first time in more than 50 years.
The Sierra Club urges the DC government to stop all auto purchases from companies whose actions conflict with your commitment that DC continually reduce greenhouse gas emissions until we achieve net zero emissions in 2050.
Best regards,