Representative Mike Levin Slams Trump’s Move to Revoke California’s Waiver for Auto Emissions Standards
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Levin (D-CA) slammed President Trump’s decision to revoke California’s waiver under the federal Clean Air Act to set its own auto emissions standards. The Clean Air Act has had bipartisan support for decades, and waivers under the legislation are critical tools in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“I grew up in Southern California — a place where Smog Alerts were once far too common. We’ve had decades of bipartisan action to improve air quality, and we’re not going back so that President Trump can line the pockets of Big Oil,” said Representative Levin. “California has reduced pollution from tailpipes in large part due to waivers under the federal Clean Air Act. Now, Trump wants to disregard decades of bipartisan progress and mislead the American public while he does it. His claims about vehicle safety and cost are entirely baseless. Fuel efficient cars meet the same safety standards as other passenger vehicles and have proven to be more cost effective. I will do everything in my power to help stop this reckless decision from taking effect.”
Representative Levin is a longtime environmental attorney and clean energy advocate. He introduced legislation this year to transition the United States to 100% zero-emission vehicles, expand charging infrastructure on public lands across the United States, and convert the National Park Service (NPS) and United States Forest Service (USFS) fleets to ZEVs.
According to a 2016 report issued by the American Lung Association, transitioning to zero-emission vehicles would deliver $33 billion in total health and climate savings by 2050. The 90% reduction in the pollution that causes smog and soot would translate to 195,000 fewer lost workdays, 96,000 fewer asthma attacks, and 2,200 fewer premature deaths.
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