Target: Mary D. Nichols, Chair of the California Air Resources Board
Goal: Applaud partnership that will reduce vehicle pollution nationwide.
California has waged war on the Trump administration’s attempts to allow more damaging air pollution. This ForceChange petition championed California’s under-assault authority to set its own vehicle emission standards. The state and its advocates just scored an important victory in this battle when it reached a deal with four major automobile manufacturers. This deal will continue with strong efficiency standards just slightly lower than those the current administration has tried to weaken. More importantly, the announcement marks a victory for those who care about stopping catastrophic climate change.
A cornerstone of the landmark Clean Air Act involved much more stringent standards for tailpipe pollution: a major driver of the greenhouse gas emissions that facilitate global warming. Donald Trump and his administration, in yet another attack on this important law, plan to freeze these standards and essentially halt any efforts at reducing these dangerous pollutants. California found a vital work-around to this environmental assault.
The state currently has authority to set its own emission and mileage standards. Almost a third of the states in the country have followed California’s lead in toughening up emission standards. Likely realizing its power as an economic force, the state’s air resources agency struck a deal with Ford, Honda, Volkswagen and BMW to honor the stronger standards for new fleets of vehicles. These manufacturers represent a full 30 percent of the American auto industry, and their actions will help prompt other auto manufacturers to meet the same standards.
This important partnership may very well have delayed the administration’s efforts to dirty up the air unabated. They reacted with typical indignation. For those who want a cleaner, healthier world, however, this partnership is a cause for celebration.
Sign the petition below to thank the individuals who made this environmental win possible.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Ms. Nichols,
You exercised California’s rightful authority with poise and conviction. Thank you for finding innovative methods—and new partners—in battling the federal government’s attempts at wholesale environmental carnage. Your partnership with four of the nation’s premier auto manufacturers does not just set a standard for vehicle emissions, it sets a standard for environmental stewardship. This partnership will delay if not outright derail a clear attack on the Clean Air Act. It will keep auto makers on the trajectory of adapting and improving for a changing world.
Please continue to be leaders—where true leaders are sorely needed—in the war on climate change. Continue to care, and know that millions support you every step of the way.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company
Go California! Always setting the standards and leading the way by a good example.
Excellent. We must do more like making idling cars with a 3 minute limit like New York and New Jersey. Way too many people sit in their cards idling for no apparent reason. It is not about us but about the children who will suffer the consequences