Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-07) led a group of 102 total lawmakers in sending a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin, demanding that the agency immediately withdraw its proposal to eliminate federal greenhouse gas pollution standards for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles.
“This is a clear abdication of EPA’s core mission to protect human health and the environment and a flagrant rejection of Congressional intent,” wrote the lawmakers. “We find it particularly concerning that EPA’s primary justification for eliminating the vehicle pollution standards is to rescind the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding and deny the near-universal scientific consensus on climate change.”
The landmark 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding determined that greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare and is the legal foundation for federal regulation of climate pollution under the Clean Air Act. Rescinding it would not only eliminate vehicle pollution standards but also strip away EPA’s core authority to regulate greenhouse gases across multiple sectors. Meanwhile, the transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas pollution in the United States, accounting for roughly 28 percent of total emissions, and 80% of that comes from light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles. Rolling back pollution standards for cars and trucks would erase decades of progress and remove one of the nation’s most effective tools for reducing climate pollution.
Furthermore, the economic consequences would be devastating. More than 410,000 Americans are employed in the clean vehicle industry. Nearly 70 percent of U.S. auto exports already go to countries with electric vehicle requirements. Rolling back federal vehicle pollution standards would put these jobs at risk, undermine U.S. competitiveness, and deprive American consumers of an estimated $1.3 trillion in fuel and maintenance savings over the coming decades.
“These standards have improved the health and financial security of the American people and strengthened the competitiveness of the American auto industry for over a decade,” the lawmakers continued. “Every American deserves to breathe clean air. Every American deserves the opportunity of a prosperous future free from climate change. And every American should be able to drive an affordable next-generation clean vehicle made here in America.”
Congresswoman Matsui has been a leading voice in the fight for clean air and serves as Co-Chair of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition. She has consistently advocated for stronger vehicle pollution standards, fought to preserve California’s Clean Air Act waiver, championed the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, and pushed for ambitious clean vehicle deployment.
The full text of the letter can be found below or HERE.
Dear Administrator Zeldin,
We write to urge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to immediately reverse course and withdraw the present proposal to eliminate federal standards limiting greenhouse gas pollution from light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles. This is a clear abdication of EPA’s core mission to protect human health and the environment and a flagrant rejection of Congressional intent. We find it particularly concerning that EPA’s primary justification for eliminating the vehicle pollution standards is to rescind the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding and deny the near-universal scientific consensus on climate change. The evidence for climate change is overwhelming, and contrary to EPA’s secondary claims, the transportation sector—the largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas pollution—is a significant driver of climate change. Strong federal pollution standards for cars and trucks are integral and necessary to stopping climate change, and EPA is bound by its mission and statutory duties to regulate and reduce this pollution. This is a shocking new low point for the agency and will result in significant and myriad negative impacts to the health and wellbeing of Americans from across the country.
The scientific evidence for human-caused climate change is overwhelming. Surveys of climate scientists have repeatedly shown more than 97% of scientists agree that climate change is happening and that it is caused by greenhouse gas pollution from vehicles, power plants, industry, and other human activities. The evidence was overwhelming in 2009 when EPA first finalized the Endangerment Finding, and it has only grown stronger in the sixteen years since. Climate models have proven to be largely accurate in forecasting global warming, and the contemporary effects of climate change have become increasingly undeniable. Severe floods, wildfires, and storms are already devastating communities across the country, disrupting supply chains, and draining billions of dollars from the American economy. Climate change is an immediate and grave threat to public health, and it is EPA’s statutory duty to address both the root causes and the impacts of this crisis.
Pollution from passenger cars and trucks is a leading cause of climate change and must be addressed to stop the most severe impacts to public health. The transportation sector is the leading source of greenhouse gas pollution in the United States, accounting for 28% of total emissions, and of these, 80% of transportation emissions come from light, medium, and heavy-duty vehicles. Federal vehicle pollution standards are therefore a necessary and effective solution to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and protect human health. Eliminating these standards would tie our hands, ensuring the global climate will continue to deteriorate and exacerbating the climate-fueled natural disasters and extreme weather events that Americans are already experiencing. In 2024 alone, 27 climate-fueled disasters each contributed to over one billion dollars in damages. At the same time, climate change has driven record temperatures across the nation, doubling the number of heat deaths among Americans since 1999. EPA must fulfill its mission to protect communities and regulate the greenhouse gas pollution that causes these deaths.
The transportation sector is also a leading source of local air pollution, including NOx, particulate matter or soot, and ozone-forming VOCs. Over 100,000 Americans die prematurely each year from air pollution, and studies show that the combination of high temperatures from global warming and poor air quality is particularly deadly. Greenhouse gas pollution standards for vehicles reduce local air pollution as well as greenhouse gases, and the deployment of zero-emissions vehicles will significantly improve local air quality. Elimination of these pollution standards will make the public health crisis worse.
Eliminating vehicle pollution standards would also cause profound damage to the U.S. economy and American workers. The world is racing towards a zero-emission future, and ignoring this reality threatens the future of the American auto industry. Over 410,000 Americans are employed in manufacturing the next generation of clean vehicles. In 2024, 69% of the vehicles exported by the U.S. were sold in countries with electric vehicle sales requirements. Jobs in the clean vehicles sector grew faster than the gas- and diesel-powered vehicle industry, adding about 60% more jobs between 2021 and 2024. Repealing the vehicle pollution standards would hamstring this growing industry, killing thousands of good-paying American jobs and ceding the future of global automotive leadership to China.
At the same time, repealing the vehicle pollution standards would rob American consumers of trillions in savings, in the midst of a worsening cost-of-living crisis. If we turn our backs on clean vehicle technologies, the next generation of American vehicles will be significantly more expensive to fuel, maintain, and repair. EPA’s own analysis suggests the proposal to eliminate vehicle pollution standards would result in $1.3 trillion in lost fuel and maintenance savings.
Rolling back the vehicle pollution standards would also threaten American energy independence by deepening our reliance on foreign oil. Only 60% of the oil refined by U.S. fuel refineries is extracted in the United States. The remaining 40% is imported, making our gas-guzzling transportation system extremely dependent on other countries. Continuing dependence on global oil markets further links the costs Americans pay at the pump to the whims of countries like Russia, whose invasion of Ukraine resulted in a price shock for consumers of 50 cents per gallon in just seven days.
Once again, we urge you not to gut these life-saving vehicle pollution standards. We urge you to uphold your oath to faithfully discharge the duties of your office and fulfil EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment. The greenhouse gas pollution standards for cars and trucks have already saved lives and they will be critical to preventing the worst public health impacts of climate change. These standards have improved the health and financial security of the American people and strengthened the competitiveness of the American auto industry for over a decade. Every American deserves to breathe clean air. Every American deserves the opportunity of a prosperous future free from climate change. And every American should be able to drive an affordable next-generation clean vehicle made here in America.
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