2019 State Legislators Letter to Automakers
2019 State Legislators Letter to Automakers
February 20, 2019
Dear Automaker:
We, the undersigned lawmakers, are writing to urge the auto industry to lead the way to a greener, healthier and more prosperous future by supporting the current fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions standards (clean car standards) and shifting cars and trucks away from their dependence on oil. These existing standards already are producing the cleanest and safest vehicles Americans have ever driven, while slashing climate pollution, protecting public health, creating local jobs, keeping auto manufacturers competitive in the global marketplace, and saving consumers more than $70 billion at the gas pump in the process.
Specifically, we ask you to join us in publicly opposing the Trump administration’s proposal to roll back vehicle fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions standards and cease lobbying for “flexibilities” that would lead to more pollution and higher bills at the gas pump. We also ask you to remove yourself as parties (As members of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers) to the lawsuit challenging the midterm review as finalized by the Trump administration.
Preliminary analyses indicate that the administration’s proposal will result in an additional 2.2 billion metric tons of global warming emissions by 2040. Increasing emissions at a time when scientists are warning us that we must do everything we can to prevent the worst impacts of climate change, is a reckless U-turn that poses a grave threat to the health and future of the constituents we were elected to serve. What’s more, in exchange for increased pollution, Americans will face increased expenses at the gas pump—up to $500 more each year. The clean car standards yield savings for everyone, but they are especially important for low-income Americans who spend a greater proportion of their income on gasoline.
Beyond costing customers hundreds of billions of dollars more at the pump, the Trump administration’s own analysis found this proposal would cost at least 60,000 jobs. This number fails to account for the cost of ceding innovation and technology leadership to other countries. Europe and China are moving forward aggressively with both standards and technology advances; weakening our standards would make you uncompetitive. This proposal threatens not only these American jobs, but our ingenuity and competitiveness globally.
The proposed rollback also directly attacks our states’ authority to protect our citizens by proposing to revoke the right of states to put in place stronger safeguards to address harmful air pollution from vehicles. This directly threatens the 118 million people living in our states and assails the Clean Air Act’s longstanding recognition of state leadership on clean cars.
The administration’s rollback of the clean car standards constitutes an unwarranted attack on our constituents and their pocketbooks, environment, health and livelihoods. The public relies on all of us to make decisions that protect our shared future. With so much at stake, now is not the time to turn back the clock on progress. We urge you to stand with us and oppose the proposed rollback of the clean car standards.
Sincerely,
Senator Bob Wieckowski
California
Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian
California
Assemblymember Cristina Garcia
California
Assemblymember Kansen Chu
California
Assemblymember Marc Levine
California
Assemblymember Sydney Kamlager-Dove
California
Senator Julie Gonzales
Colorado
Representative Dylan Roberts
Colorado
Senator Matthew L. Lesser
Connecticut
Representative Caroline Simmons
Connecticut
Representative David Michel
Connecticut
Representative Gary Turco
Connecticut
Representative Geoff Luxenberg
Connecticut
Representative James Albis
Connecticut
Representative Jason Rojas
Connecticut
Representative Joseph P. Gresko
Connecticut
Representative Kim Rose
Connecticut
Representative Raghib Allie-Brennan
Connecticut
Representative Roland Lemar
Connecticut
Senator Bruce C. Ennis
Delaware
Representative Kimberly Williams
Delaware
Representative Paul Baumbach
Delaware
Senator Benjamin Chipman
Maine
Senator Brownie Carson
Maine
Senator David Miramant
Maine
Senator Eloise Vitelli
Maine
Senator Heather Sanborn
Maine
Senator Justin Chenette
Maine
Senator Linda Sanborn
Maine
Senator Rebecca Millett
Maine
Senator Shenna Bellows
Maine
Senate Majority Leader Nathan Libby
Maine
Senate Majority Leader Nathan Libby
Maine
Representative Allison Hepler
Maine
Representative Ann Peoples
Maine
Representative Anne Carney
Maine
Representative Brian Hubbell
Maine
Representative Charlotte Warren
Maine
Representative Christina Riley
Maine
Representative Deane Rykerson
Maine
Representative Deane Rykerson
Maine
Representative Dennis Keschl
Maine
Representative Diane Denk
Maine
Representative James R. Handy
Maine
Representative Janice Cooper
Maine
Representative Margaret O’Neil
Maine
Representative Maureen Terry
Maine
Representative Michael Brennan
Maine
Representative Michael Sylvester
Maine
Representative Patricia Hymanson
Maine
Representative Richard R. Farnsworth
Maine
Representative Scott Cuddy
Maine
Representative Seth Berry
Maine
Representative Vicki Doudera
Maine
Representative Bill Pluecker
Maine
Representative Walter Riseman
Maine
Senator Cheryl C. Kagan
Maryland
Senator Clarence Lam
Maryland
Senator Jeff Waldstreicher
Maryland
Senator Jim Rosapepe
Maryland
Senator Pamela Beidle
Maryland
Senator Ronald Young
Maryland
Delegate Alice Cain
Maryland
Delegate Ariana Kelly
Maryland
Delegate Brooke Lierman
Maryland
Delegate David Moon
Maryland
Delegate Emily Shetty
Maryland
Delegate Jared Solomon
Maryland
Delegate Jay Jalisi
Maryland
Delegate Lorig Charkoudian
Maryland
Delegate Marc Korman
Maryland
Delegate Mary Lehman
Maryland
Delegate Robbyn Lewis
Maryland
Delegate Sara Love
Maryland
Delegate Shelly Hettleman
Maryland
Delegate Tawanna P. Gaines
Maryland
Delegate Vaughn Stewart
Maryland
Senator Adam Hinds
Massachusetts
Senator Cynthia Stone Creem
Massachusetts
Senator James T. Welch
Massachusetts
Senator Julian Cyr
Massachusetts
Senator Marc R. Pacheco
Massachusetts
Representative Andy X. Vargas
Massachusetts
Representative Carlos Gonzalez
Massachusetts
Representative David Robertson
Massachusetts
Representative Denise Provost
Massachusetts
Representative Frank A. Moran
Massachusetts
Representative Jack Patrick Lewis
Massachusetts
Representative Jonathan Hecht
Massachusetts
Representative Jose F. Tosado
Massachusetts
Representative Joseph W. McGonagle, Jr.
Massachusetts
Representative Mike Connolly
Massachusetts
Representative Paul Brodeur
Massachusetts
Representative Paul Mark
Massachusetts
Representative Ruth B. Balser
Massachusetts
Representative Stephan Hay
Massachusetts
Representative Thomas Stanley
Massachusetts
Senator Patrick Diegnan, Jr.
New Jersey
Assemblymember Mila Jasey
New Jersey
Assemblymember Nicholas Chiaravalloti
New Jersey
Assemblymember Raj Mukherji
New Jersey
Assemblymember Valerie Vainieri Huttle
New Jersey
Senator Andrew Gounardes
New York
Senator Jen Metzger
New York
Senator Liz Krueger
New York
Senator Peter Harckham
New York
Assemblymember Barbara Lifton
New York
Assemblymember Brian Barnwell
New York
Assemblymember Carrie Woerner
New York
Assemblymember Daniel Rosenthal
New York
Assemblymember Donna Lupardo
New York
Assemblymember Fred W. Thiele, Jr.
New York
Assemblymember Harvey Epstein
New York
Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz
New York
Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal
New York
Assemblymember Nily Rozic
New York
Assemblymember Richard Gottfried
New York
Assemblymember William Colton
New York
Senator Jeff Golden
Oregon
Senator Kathleen Taylor
Oregon
Senator Michael Dembrow
Oregon
Representative Barbara Smith Warner
Oregon
Representative Jeff Barker
Oregon
Representative Julie Fahey
Oregon
Representative Karin Power
Oregon
Representative Kenneth Helm
Oregon
Representative Pam Marsh
Oregon
Senator Art Haywood
Pennsylvania
Senator Jay Costa
Pennsylvania
Senator Steve Santarsiero
Pennsylvania
Senator Wayne Fontana
Pennsylvania
Representative Adam Ravenstahl
Pennsylvania
Representative Austin Davis
Pennsylvania
Representative Carolyn Comitta
Pennsylvania
Representative Dan Frankel
Pennsylvania
Representative Donna Bullock
Pennsylvania
Representative Elizabeth Fiedler
Pennsylvania
Representative Gregory Vitali
Pennsylvania
Representative Jeanne McNeill
Pennsylvania
Representative Jennifer O’Mara
Pennsylvania
Representative Jordan A. Harris
Pennsylvania
Representative Joseph Ciresi
Pennsylvania
Representative Joseph Hohenstein
Pennsylvania
Representative Joseph Webster
Pennsylvania
Representative Maria Donatucci
Pennsylvania
Representative Mary Isaacson
Pennsylvania
Representative Melissa Shusterman
Pennsylvania
Representative Mike Schlossberg
Pennsylvania
Representative Pamela A. DeLissio
Pennsylvania
Representative Peter Schweyer
Pennsylvania
Representative Ryan A. Bizzarro
Pennsylvania
Representative Sara Innamorato
Pennsylvania
Representative Steve McCarter
Pennsylvania
Representative Steven Malagari
Pennsylvania
Representative Thomas R. Caltagirone
Pennsylvania
Representative Tim Briggs
Pennsylvania
Representative Tina Davis
Pennsylvania
Senator Dawn Euer
Rhode Island
Senator Elizabeth A. Crowley
Rhode Island
Senator Frank Ciccone
Rhode Island
Senator Walter Felag
Rhode Island
Representative Arthur Handy
Rhode Island
Representative Deborah Ruggiero
Rhode Island
Representative Edith H. Ajello
Rhode Island
Representative Jason Knight
Rhode Island
Representative John W. Lyle, Jr.
Rhode Island
Representative Joseph McNamara
Rhode Island
Representative Justine Caldwell
Rhode Island
Representative Lauren Carson
Rhode Island
Representative Rebecca Kislak
Rhode Island
Representative Susan R. Donovan
Rhode Island
Representative Terri-Denise Cortvriend
Rhode Island
Senator Cheryl M. Hooker
Vermont
Senator Michael Sirotkin
Vermont
Representative Avram Patt
Vermont
Representative Brian Cina
Vermont
Representative Caleb Elder
Vermont
Representative David Yacovone
Vermont
Representative John Gannon
Vermont
Representative Laura Sibilia
Vermont
Representative Mari Cordes
Vermont
Representative Michael Yantachka
Vermont
Representative Michael Mrowicki
Vermont
Representative Mollie S. Burke
Vermont
Representative Peter Anthony
Vermont
Representative Rebecca White
Vermont
Representative Sara Coffey
Vermont
Representative Sarah Copeland-Hanzas Vermont
Representative Scott Campbell
Vermont
Representative Selene Colburn
Vermont
Senator Bob Hasegawa
Washington
Senator Christine Rolfes
Washington
Senator Jesse Salomon
Washington
Senator Karen Keiser
Washington
Senator Marko Liias
Washington
Representative Beth Doglio
Washington
Representative Cindy Ryu
Washington
Representative Derek Stanford
Washington
Representative Gael Tarleton
Washington
Representative Joe Fitzgibbon
Washington
Representative June Robinson
Washington
Representative Roger Goodman
Washington