In the latest attack on environmental regulations, the Trump administration has drafted a proposal to freeze fuel-efficiency automobile standards beginning in 2021. The draft proposal would also challenge California’s power to establish its own stronger fuel-efficiency rules, setting up the latest potential clash between the state of California and the Trump administration. This is Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune, speaking on Democracy Now!
Michael Brune: “Right now Scott Pruitt is working on undermining the clean car standard, which is a standard that is supported by 90 percent of Americans—Democrats and Republicans—because it cuts air pollution, cuts water pollution and climate pollution, and it saves people money. What it does is makes cars more efficient. It helps people to transition to cleaner vehicles—hybrids, plug-in hybrids, electric vehicles—or simply more fuel-efficient vehicles that reduces our dependence on oil, and it makes innovating industries in the auto sector more successful.”