Going Into Reverse on Car Emissions

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/18/opinion/letters/big-oil-car-emissions.html

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To the Editor:

Re “Big Oil Angles, Quietly, to Ease Emissions Cuts” (front page, Dec. 14):

Big Oil, which I spent most of my adult life representing in environmental matters, is making a Big Mistake as it tries to take advantage of the Trump administration’s effort to undo America’s environmental protection laws.

Under the absurd banner of “car freedom,” the nation’s big gasoline producers are pushing a willing Trump administration to gut the nation’s clean car efficiency standards. These standards have dramatically improved automobile fuel efficiency and air quality in America. They are perhaps the most cost-effective rules ever published by the Environmental Protection Agency.

If the Trump administration ever finalizes these legally questionable rollbacks, there is a good chance a new Democratic administration will soon be taking over. New E.P.A. leaders should not just scuttle the rollback, but also redouble the stringency of the standards. Industry will howl, “We need more time; we only did what the Trump guys allowed us to do!” I might be sympathetic and give them an extra week to comply.

Brad RaffleBend, Ore.

To the Editor:

Marathon Petroleum has no shame. Does it really think it can convince people that it is environmentally friendly with a duck pond and a gardening project at one of its refineries? That what this country really needs is a “car freedom agenda”?

This tactic that tries to get people riled up about government taking away our freedom is really just a move by gasoline producers to protect their bottom line. The really scary thing is how much influence their money has on our politicians. Industry talking points are repeated verbatim by lawmakers.

This has nothing to do with fuel efficiency rules being a “relic of a disproved narrative of resource scarcity,” as Marathon suggests, and everything to do with our warming climate. The environment is going to be a top issue in 2020, and the states need to lead on this.

Cars and trucks are the top source of greenhouse gas emissions. In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo can burnish his eco-credentials by taking strides toward a fully electric transportation sector.

Catherine OrrokBrooklyn