ICYMI: EPA Only Pays Attention to Pollution in Communities When Politically Opportunistic

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday evening, McClatchy reported that EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler sent a letter to California Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nicols threatening sanctions against California, including cuts in federal highway funding.

This latest attack against California comes less than a week after the Trump administration announced it is revoking the Clean Air Act waiver that allows the state to adopt and enforce stronger greenhouse gas emissions standards on new cars and light trucks than the federal government’s standards -- which Trump and Wheeler are trying to roll back.

This threat against California is a striking example of the EPA’s hypocrisy under Wheeler. The agency is attempting to punish California for having bad air quality right after acting to take away its ability to clean up its vehicle emissions, in addition to singling out California when communities in several states across the nation suffer from dangerous levels of smog pollution.

In response, the Sierra Club's Global Climate Policy Director John Coequyt released the following statement:

“Andrew Wheeler is again making it clear he’d rather play political games than protect communities from dangerous pollution. If Wheeler cared about our clean air, he wouldn’t have attempted to revoke California’s ability to cut pollution nor would he be rolling back the clean car standards.

“The Trump administration’s latest moves against California are nothing more than retaliation against those who are taking action to protect our communities from fossil fuel lobbyists like Andrew Wheeler.”