General Motors & Other Automakers Side with Trump and Pollution Over the Safety and Health of Communities

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This evening, it was reported that automakers General Motors, Fiat Chrysler, Toyota, Mazda and Mitsubishi are moving to intervene in support of the Trump administration in the legal battle over California’s long-standing authority to set more stringent emission standards for new motor vehicles, as well as to require automakers to manufacture increasing numbers of electric vehicles. By siding with Trump on preemption, automakers are attempting to sideline California’s leadership on clean cars and weaken the clean car standards.

On September 27, the Sierra Club, along with a coalition of other environmental groups, filed a lawsuit challenging NHTSA’s unlawful attack on California’s authority. The NHTSA regulation improperly declares that the state’s greenhouse gas (GHG) vehicle standards and its Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate are preempted under the federal fuel economy laws.

The Trump Administration’s attack on California last month--NHTSA’s preemption regulation and EPA’s revocation of the California waiver for these regulations--has wide-reaching implications beyond California; it affects the 14 states plus D.C. that have adopted these stronger restrictions on pollution from cars, and 11 states that have adopted the Zero Emission Vehicle standards. 

In response, Gina Coplon-Newfield, Director of the Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All campaign, released the following statement:

“Shame on these automakers who support the Trump Administration’s illegal and dangerous attack on state authority, clean air, and climate progress. Automakers have an opportunity -- and responsibility -- to ease pollution and stress on people’s wallets. Unfortunately, these automakers chose to turn their backs on the well-being of communities across the nation to aid an Administration intent on attacking historic and necessary climate and consumer protections.”