Don’t buy cars from manufacturers who side with Trump. Valley air quality depends on it
The San Joaquin Valley is among the worst places in the nation for air quality. It has been that way for many years, and that was reconfirmed last April when the American Lung Association issued its annual State of the Air report.
Counties receiving failing, or F, grades in the report included Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced and Tulare. Kings County was found to have the worst year-round levels of particle pollution in the nation.
Topography has a lot to do with the problem: The Valley is surrounded by the coast ranges on the west and Sierra Nevada mountains to the east, so air gets trapped. Weather is another issue. The summer heat cooks the air to create ozone; in the winter, fireplaces emit soot into the air.
Then there’s emissions from cars and pickups. Since the Valley remains one of the few places in California where housing is still somewhat affordable, any growth in population means more vehicles on the road — and more air pollution.
So one would think that any official action to clean up the state’s air would be welcome. But not when it comes to President Trump and his personal battles with California.
Approved waiver
For decades, California has used a waiver approved by Congress under the federal Clean Air Act to set its own air quality standards that determine how much pollution cars and light trucks can emit. In September, however, Trump directed his administration to revoke the waiver. The reasoning: California’s rules effectively pre-empted the federal government’s mileage standards.
California has sued to block that federal action, and has been joined by other states that also follow California’s standards.
Trump was also upset with how California air regulators had reached agreements with Ford, Honda, Volkswagen and BMW to gradually increase fuel efficiency standards. That runs counter to the Trump-directed push to relax tailpipe pollution rules. The Justice Department is now conducting an antitrust probe into the car manufacturers.
GM, Toyota, Fiat Chrysler and other automakers decided to side with Trump. In response, last week Gov. Gavin Newsom directed state agencies to cease buying vehicles from those manufacturers. The boycott is meant to send an economic message to the car makers about the importance of air quality to California.
Stand up for air quality
In a similar way, the Valley should deliver such a message. It is time for cities, counties, school districts and other public entities to decide their allegiance in their fleet purchasing. Those public governments should only buy from automakers who respect California’s right to set its own air quality standards.
That might mean certain local dealers get favored over others in fleet purchasing, and that would be an unfortunate result. But the Valley has high rates of asthma directly attributable to its poor air quality. The rate of premature death is also affected by bad air. Too often the very young and very old are most vulnerable. The economic impact is one way to deliver the message to board rooms at the auto giants.
Does fleet purchasing matter? Last year the state bought 2,600 vehicles. Closer to home, the city of Fresno is set to buy about 120 this year. The city has a fleet of just over 2,200 vehicles. Fresno has not only gas-powered vehicles, but also trash trucks and street sweepers that run on natural gas and have near zero emissions.
Lead the way
When it comes to environmental issues, Trump seeks to roll back regulations enacted over years of research and review meant to protect air and water quality. He does it supposedly to help industry and create jobs. But reverting California air back to an earlier, dirtier era is too high a price.
Automakers who side with Trump, in the selfish motive for keeping their costs down, need to get the economic message that California air is not some cheap commodity. Car manufacturers who realize that should be supported. Government fleet purchases is a place to begin, and Valley agencies should lead the way.
This story was originally published November 22, 2019 at 10:03 AM.