General Motors Drops Out Of Trump Lawsuit Seeking To Roll Back Auto Emission Rules
General Motors is abandoning a legal battle between the Trump Administration and California over the state’s right to set its own standards for greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy rules.
The move signals a recognition by GM that its electrification and zero emissions strategy is more closely aligned with the priorities of the incoming Biden Administration.
Last year, GM, Fiat Chrysler, Toyota and 10 other automakers sided with the Trump Administration in a lawsuit filed by environmental groups challenging the Administration’s plans to roll back emissions and gas mileage standards and strip California’s authority to set its own emission standards.
Ford, Honda, BMW and Volkswagen sided with California and cut a separate deal with the state to meet a 50-mpg fleetwide standard by 2026 for all vehicles sold nationwide.
In recent years, more than a dozen other states have signed on to California’s emissions standards for vehicles.
During the campaign, candidate Biden pledged to make major investments in electric vehicles and EV fueling infrastructure through federal financial support to automakers and expanded tax credits for consumers.
Now that Biden is president-elect, GM realized that continuing support for the Trump roll-back is no longer a viable way forward. There is no word on whether any of the remaining automakers in the lawsuit plan to follow GM’s move.
