FUELING MORE CLIMATE CHANGE
The climate change crisis requires a steadfast commitment from both the public and private sector to enact robust measures before it’s too late. What we absolutely can’t afford are regressive policies from the federal government that undermine this fight. That’s why it is so disheartening to see what the Trump Administration just did.
While the country fights the coronavirus the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) released the final version of the Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule, which according to a Huffington Post article:
“Would lower fuel economy standards for vehicles sold in the United States from 54 miles per gallon by 2025 to 40 miles per gallon…The two-digit change carries 10-digit implications for climate change. Under the new standard, which could be implemented as soon as this spring, the U.S. auto fleet would emit nearly additional 1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide over their lifespans on the road than they would under the existing rule. That’s nearly the annual emissions of Japan, the world’s fifth-largest source of planet-heating carbon dioxide.”
Call me cynical, but this seems like a classic governmental ploy to do something controversial while the American people are preoccupied, and clearly the steady increase in those who are infected, hospitalized or dying from the coronavirus is an unprecedented distraction.
The Trump Administration has taken a long-winding, pollution-driven road to arrive at this moment. When they came into office in 2017, they announced their intention to roll back the 2012 Obama Administration rule. After:
“That math did not bear out when the White House first proposed its replacement to the 2012 fuel mileage rule. Yet the administration fought on anyway, dividing the auto industry between a handful of manufacturers who sided with California regulators, who supported keeping the stronger existing standards, and another group that publicly backed federal authorities in their quest to weaken the rules. In October, the fight took an abrupt turn when the administration backed down, and the Department of Justice abandoned an investigation into the companies that sided with California.”
Essentially, the EPA and DOT went dark for half a year while they reworked the rule. Environmental groups are apoplectic about the announcement of the ill-advised decision, but it’s certain they will file lawsuits to block the Trump Administration from implementing the rule while the federal judiciary decides on the issue.
The National Children’s Campaign could not be further from the Trump Administration in this regard. After all, due to the coronavirus we postponed a 5-state bus #Vote4OurFuture bus tour with Zero Hour that was scheduled to take place from March 20 – 30. The centerpiece of that effort would have been the utilization of Green New Deal as an educational tool to raise awareness about the type of comprehensive measures that are needed if the fight against climate change is going to be successful. When your ultimately goal is to create net-zero global emission by 2050, rolling back fuel economy standards is anathema to that objective.