Trump Administration Erases Mention of Climate Change in Proposal to Block California’s Clean Cars Program

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, E&E News reported that new documents show that the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs deleted language about how climate change poses a "serious challenge” and a link to the Fourth National Climate Assessment from a proposal to preempt California's clean cars program.

Last Friday, the Sierra Club and other environmental groups filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration challenging the administration’s attempt to strip California of its authority to set more stringent greenhouse gas (GHG) vehicle standards than the federal standards, and rescinding California’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) program.

The lawsuit, which focuses on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s decision to preempt the California GHG and ZEV standards, came on the same day that the agency action was officially published in the Federal Register.

In response, Deputy Director of Advocacy for Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All Andrew Linhardt released the following statement:

“There’s no need to read between the lines here when the Trump administration has struck out the very basis for why we need strong clean car standards. Donald Trump and his Administration continue to sacrifice our health, our safety, and our jobs to pretend the climate crisis doesn’t exist, but we won’t let this blatant and dangerous erasure of climate science go unnoticed. State leaders, the courts, and the American public are watching, and together, we will move forward on climate action in the face of such a baseless rollback.”

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.