Source: sfgate.com

Promote public transit systems and reduce private cars -- that is the only way out to raise the survival possibility for our future generations. Put the human race’s future before immediate private profits! 

                                                                                                -- The New Legalist editor

Four automakers from three continents have struck a deal with California to produce more fuel-efficient cars for their U.S. fleets in coming years, undercutting one of the Trump administration’s most aggressive climate policy rollbacks.

The compromise between the California Air Resources Board and Ford, Honda, Volkswagen and BMW of North America came after weeks of secret negotiations and could shape future U.S. vehicle production, even as White House officials aim to relax gas mileage standards for the nation’s cars, pickup trucks and SUVs.

Mary Nichols, California’s top air pollution regulator, said in an interview Wednesday that she sees the agreement as a potential "olive branch" to the Trump administration and hopes it joins the deal, which she said gives automakers flexibility in meeting emissions goals without the "massive backsliding" contained in the White House’s current proposal.

"What we have here is a statement of principles, intended to reach out to the federal government to move them off the track that they seem to be on, and on to a more constructive track," Nichols said, adding that the companies approached California officials last month about a potential compromise.

In a joint statement, the four companies said their decision to hash out a deal with California was driven by a need for predictability, as well as a desire to reduce compliance costs, keep vehicles affordable for customers and be good environmental stewards.

"These terms will provide our companies much-needed regulatory certainty by allowing us to meet both federal and state requirements with a single national fleet, avoiding a patchwork of regulations while continuing to ensure meaningful greenhouse gas emissions reductions," the group said.

The deal comes as the Trump administration is working to finalize a huge regulatory rollback that would freeze mileage requirements for cars and light trucks next fall at about 37 miles per gallon on average, rather than raising them over time to roughly 51 mpg for 2025 models - the level that the industry and government agreed to during the Obama administration. The rule would also revoke California’s long-standing authority to set its own rules under the Clean Air Act, a practice the federal government has sanctioned for decades.

The White House argues that more lenient standards would lower the sticker price of vehicles and encourage Americans to buy newer, safer cars. But California has vowed to enforce stricter requirements to lower greenhouse gas emissions, and the auto industry itself has implored the Trump administration to try to find common ground with California. 

Under the new accord the four companies, which represent roughly 30 percent of the U.S. auto market, have agreed to produce fleets averaging nearly 50 mpg by model year 2026. That’s just one year later than the target set under the Obama administration, which argued that requiring more-fuel-efficient vehicles would improve public health, combat climate change and save consumers money at the gas pump without compromising safety.

The share of America’s auto market affected by the new terms could grow significantly if other automakers also join the deal. Last month, the Canadian government also pledged to align mileage requirements for its auto market with California rather than the Trump administration.

As part of the new agreement, California has pledged to certify vehicles from the four automakers and provide the firms with additional flexibility in how they meet each year’s emissions goal. The firms will improve their fleet’s average efficiency by 3.7 percent a year, as opposed to about 5 percent dictated under the Obama-era rules.

Now that the transportation sector has emerged as the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, the future gas mileage of the country’s auto fleet will have a profound impact on the nation’s carbon footprint. According to the State Energy & Environmental Impact Center at the New York University School of Law, the Trump administration’s plan to freeze mileage standards between 2020 and 2026 would increase greenhouse gas emissions by between 16 million and 37 million metric tons during that period. That’s the equivalent of adding between 3.4 million and 7.8 million cars on the road.

Trump officials have consistently rejected the idea that the federal government should adopt policies aimed at weaning Americans off fossil fuels. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s own analysis of its proposed mileage freeze projected that the increased greenhouse gas emissions from the move would not make a major difference because the world was on track to warm by 7 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century anyway.

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Promote public transit systems and reduce private cars -- that is the only way out to raise the survival possibility for our future generations. Put the human race’s future before immediate private profits!

                                                                                               -- The New Legalist editor