With a new administration taking office and a new decade upon us, it’s a perfect opportunity to recommit to holding the automobile industry accountable under the Clean Air Act. While manufacturers continue to be in compliance with fuel economy and emissions regulations, improvements are stalling, and a continued shift away from cars to SUVs and light trucks shows the country progressing far too slowly to avert the worst impacts of climate change. With a new presidential administration set to take over, it’s time to put the previous administration’s rollback in the rear-view and the pedal to the metal, pushing industry onto a more sustainable path. Read more >
Latest Vehicles Posts

Northeast Reaches Major Milestone to Reduce Emissions and Raise Revenue for Transportation, but Much More Work Remains
December 21, 2020 1:56 PM EDT
A collaboration of Northeast and Mid-Atlantic jurisdictions just signed the final Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Transportation and Climate Initiative Program (TCI-P) This program sets a much-needed limit on emissions from burning dirty transportation fuels in the region and brings in revenue for the participating jurisdictions.
Exactly two years ago, a group of nine states and the District of Columbia announced their intent to design a new landmark clean transportation program that would set a cap on carbon dioxide emissions from gasoline and diesel. This was to be remembered as a ground-breaking moment for transportation in the region, since for the first time Northeast and Mid-Atlantic jurisdictions started working together to address emissions from transportation in a concrete way.

5 Reasons Clean Fuel Standards are the Secret Key to Decarbonizing Transportation
December 14, 2020 10:16 AM EDT
Clean Fuel Standards are enjoying something of a resurgence, with states from coast to coast (including Washington, Nevada, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, Illinois and New York) considering joining California and Oregon in adopting this proven model to support transportation decarbonization. Washington, DC is also taking notice. Read more >

California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard Accelerating Transportation Electrification
December 3, 2020 4:35 PM EDT
Last month California electric utilities launched the California Clean Fuel Rewards Program, a statewide point-of-sale electric vehicle rebate program worth up to $1,500 per vehicle (depending upon battery size). This program is funded by credits from California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), which are quickly becoming a major source of support for transportation electrification, complementing other state climate and clean air programs. Incentives are good way to accelerate the electric vehicle (EV) market, especially rebates available at the time of purchase. These incentives are different than past state and local efforts because they are funded by producers of carbon-intensive fuels.

GM’s Environmental About-Face – Political Expedience or Real Leadership?
December 3, 2020 9:45 AM EDT
Last week, General Motors announced it’s ending its part in the lawsuit supporting the Trump administration’s illegal elimination of California’s ability to set global warming emissions standards for passenger cars and trucks. While the news is a welcome action and something UCS and others have been pressuring GM to do, done in the wake of the election of a new president, it screams of political expediency, not environmental leadership.