4 Automakers Have Cut Deals With California On Emissions Standards Despite Trump

Despite the Trump administration’s plan to freeze standards at 2021 levels, four automakers have reached a deal with California to increase gas mileage and greenhouse gas emissions standards. The White House has been battling with California over its ability to set its own auto emissions standards.

Ford, BMW, Honda and Volkswagen are the automakers that have come to a compromise with the California Air Resources Board. California has said it would exercise its powers to set stricter pollution and mileage standards than the federal government has proposed. As far as the automakers are concerned, they see the agreement as “insurance” to provide some certainty to the industry and the state no matter who wins the 2020 presidential elections.

After the Trump administration rejected a compromise between existing policies and the new proposal to roll back emissions regulations, the four automakers took it upon themselves to do it anyway. Not all automakers were approached concerning the compromise and it’s unclear how the rest of the auto industry and White House will react to the deal.

Obviously, automakers would all prefer a national standard for emissions regulations to avoid having to navigate multiple different sets of regulations in the U.S.