WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Four major automakers said on Thursday they have reached a voluntary agreement with the state of California on fuel efficiency rules, bypassing a Trump administration effort to strip the state of the right to fight climate change by setting its own standards.
California and other states had vowed to enforce stricter emissions standards put in place by the Obama administration after President Donald Trump proposed rolling back the federal rules. Automakers had worried that years of court battles between the state and federal governments could create uncertainty for manufacturers.
The California compromise proposal is more stringent than Trump’s proposal but looser than the Obama-era rule. California, the most populous U.S. state, accounts for about 12% of U.S. vehicle sales, and if the administration recognizes the deal it would allow automakers to operate under one set of national rules.
“Ensuring that America’s vehicles are efficient, safe and affordable is a priority for us all,” Ford Motor Co, BMW AG, Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) and Honda Motor Co said in a joint statement. They said the accord could help maintain a nationwide set of fuel efficiency requirements.
The automakers “didn’t want to face the expense, distraction and the bad publicity that comes from being part of a big rollback on clean cars,” Mary Nichols, who chairs the California Air Resources Board, told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. She said the companies sought regulatory certainty and had agreed not to legally challenge California’s vehicle regulatory authority.
Nichols said other automakers could also adopt the compromise if they choose. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV said
