A possible face-off brews between the California state regulators and the White House over the Trump administration's approach to addressing car pollution. While federal authorities claim that the new car pollution policy still needs review, some sources said that it was already approved. This paved way for the heated statement of California Governor Jerry Brown that he is ready to battle against President Donald Trump if it is for the defense of the environment.
To recall, California's car regulators set a zero-emission mandate by 2022 to 2025. The policy aims to keep car pollution at bay until the total eradication of harmful tailpipe emissions. To make the issue even more complicated, the car pollution policy gained support from several other states who followed the same, either in full or partially.
However, Reuters reported that a White House official argued that Resident Trump chose to shy away from California's zero-emission policy due to its economic repercussions. Reports said that the official stressed that jobs should be protected, prompting Trump to call for a compromise. Further, an average buyer can also purchase cheaper cars through not-so-strenuous car pollution policy. Comparably, a totally "clean" car is usually cost-prohibitive in most instances.
To give a better idea, both the federal and California regulators acknowledge that car prices might skyrocket to an additional $1,000 per unit in 2025. Simply put, satisfying the car pollution policy means more production and design cost. Car manufacturers admit that while clean cars are feasible, there are also technical matters that should be considered.
Meanwhile, Global News said that the car pollution policy traced as far back as the succession of President Trump. The then Obama administration rushed to approved the policy that subsequently finalized the federal standards on tailpipe emissions. When Trump assumed, the debate resumed since car manufacturers saw a new hope for intervention.
Amidst criticisms that they are undermining the California authority to set the car pollution policy, the automakers themselves leans on President Trump for consideration. In their defense, the Global Automakers Industry Alliance stressed that they are just looking for a win-win solution to the tussle.
