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To some people, “climate change” might seem like a distant problem, but as we know very well wildfires are happening now and affecting the lives, homes, and everyday well being of my family and fellow Californians.
The transportation sector continues to be the single largest source of greenhouse gas pollution in California. Unsurprisingly, our state has some of the worst air quality in the country, which is made even worse by the recent wildfires. Air pollution is a serious health threat and can trigger asthma attacks and increase risk of chronic lung and cardiovascular diseases. While our transportation pollution problems are big, we have big solutions here as well.
For nearly 50 years, California has benefited from the Congressionally-granted legal authority to set tailpipe pollution standards that require auto manufacturers to produce clean cars, helping us breathe healthier air and cut climate pollution. This is so important for my community in Southern California’s Inland Empire, which the American Lung Association’s State of the Air Report Card has deemed failing based on the number of unhealthy air days.
In late 2024, President Biden approved California’s request to continue its longstanding program to reduce dangerous vehicle pollution, which allows the nearly dozen other states that have adopted California’s regulations to implement the standards as well. However, in recent weeks, Trump has signaled that his administration plans to attempt to revoke California’s permission to carry out the Advanced Clean Cars program.
Our state’s Clean Cars program requires an increased number of zero-emission vehicles to achieve air quality and climate goals, and it favors the carbon-reducing option of electric vehicles over others – like hybrids – intentionally. This program is encouraging automakers to make electric vehicles more affordable and accessible, spurring green jobs in infrastructure and auto manufacturing, curbing air pollution, and mitigating the climate crisis.
And it’s worked. California’s greenhouse gas emissions dropped 2.4% in 2022, largely because Californians are buying more electric vehicles and less gasoline. This drop in emissions is not only a win for the health of our communities in California, but also for our economy. Given the state’s position as the world’s fifth-largest economy, cleaner vehicles in California have ripple effects globally.
Despite the success of California’s clean cars program, some policymakers like newly elected Senator and former car dealer Bernie Moreno are threatening to undermine California’s standards. Politicians like Moreno are spreading disinformation about the standards and propping up gas cars to help their oil billionaire friends maximize their profits. This is not the time to undermine electric vehicles. By protecting the standards, automakers will continue to produce a wide array of cleaner cars. That means more choices for consumers, not less, as Moreno has incorrectly argued.
With billions of private dollars already invested in the electric vehicle transition, record high electric vehicle sales, and an increasingly competitive global landscape, a zero-emissions future is already well underway. If the U.S. falls behind on electric vehicle competitiveness, we stand to lose to global challengers eclipsing our legacy automakers’ standing and reputation.
It’s in automakers’ best interest to provide Americans with a range of affordable options. With the best charging network and the highest electric vehicle adoption per capita in the country, Californians are already in the fast lane to a zero-emission future—so long as we don’t backtrack on proven approaches. California's track record proves how electric vehicles have benefited our local economy. And with more investments from automakers, our state will continue to drive electric vehicle sales.
The federal government is threatening to limit California’s progress. But communities like mine—those burdened with wildfires, severe pollution and smog—cannot afford to go backward on clean air. We can and must persist.