Bronx, NY – As the Trump administration continues their fight against existing climate change policies by proposing a rollback of federal clean car standards, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz joined 200 legislators from 14 states to call on automakers to oppose the changes. A letter signed by Dinowitz and fellow lawmakers was sent to 20 automakers and also appeared in an ad placed in The Hill.

As the need to combat climate change has become more readily apparent, the Obama administration made significant strides in raising fuel economy and greenhouse gas emission standards. In sharp contrast, Trump campaigned explicitly on lowering these vehicle standards as part of an overall platform to promote the fossil fuel industry.

The letter notes, “Preliminary analyses indicate that the administration’s proposal will result in an additional 2.2 billion metric tons of global warming emissions by 2040. Increasing emissions at a time when scientists are warning us that we must do everything we can to prevent the worst impacts of climate change, is a reckless U-turn that poses a grave threat to the health and future of the constituents we were elected to serve. What’s more, in exchange for increased pollution, Americans will face increased expenses at the gas pump – up to $500 more each year.”

New York State is one of 13 states which have chosen to mandate higher fuel economy and emission standards than the federal government established, and currently rely on a waiver in order to do so. The Trump administration, specifically the EPA and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), has threatened to revoke this waiver through a new rule that would also freeze standards at 2020 levels instead of continuing to increase.

The full text of the letter and signatories can be found here.

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D – Northwest Bronx) said: “Climate change is the preeminent threat facing future generations. It is abhorrent that our current federal administration would threaten to not only reverse a decade of progress that we made on this front under President Obama, but also to prevent individual states from autonomously setting our own standards. This isn’t how our government is supposed to operate and it clearly shows that our current President prioritizes his corporate cronies and their bank accounts more than the environment we are leaving to our children. If he wants to remain ignorant of climate issues then I suppose there isn’t much we can do to change that until November 2020, but I believe it is against the spirit of our U.S. Constitution to prevent states from establishing their own regulations on fuel economy and emissions.”