General Motors Withdraws Support For Trump In Legal Battle With California Over Emissions Rules

General Motors announced Monday that it will no longer support the Trump administration’s efforts to prevent California from setting its own emissions rules.

Though California's tougher air quality and emissions rules have been approved by the federal government for years, the Trump administration tried to revoke the waiver in 2019, leading to a legal battle. Environmental groups supported California and 22 other states which have stricter environmental regulations than the federal rules.

Automakers across the U.S. were divided on this issue. GM, along with Toyota and Fiat Chrysler, supported the Trump administration, demanding a uniform emissions standard, according to CNN. They were unwilling to have two different sets of fuel economy and emissions standards, one for California and more than 20 other states that followed the state's standards, and another for the rest of the country.

Meanwhile, Ford, BMW and Volkswagen reached an agreement with California, promising lower carbon emissions from their cars by 2026. They decided to follow their promise not just in the state, but nationwide.

GM has now crossed over to that side. In a letter to environment groups, GM chief executive officer Mary Barra said the company’s aims to promote the adoption of electric vehicles are in line with President-elect Joe Biden’s plan for energy-efficient cars.

“We believe the ambitious electrification goals of the President-elect, California, and General Motors are aligned to address climate change by drastically reducing automobile emissions. To better foster the necessary dialogue, we are immediately withdrawing from the preemption litigation and inviting other automakers to join us,” the letter read.

As Biden is set to take over the White House in January, GM has withdrawn from the fight predicting a shift in policy focus towards clean energy. “We are confident that the Biden Administration, California and the U.S. auto industry, which supports 10.3 million jobs, can collaboratively find the pathway that will deliver an all-electric future,” Barra said in the letter.

General Motors recently announced its sustainability ambitions to make 40% of its sales in the U.S. electric by 2025. It also plans to spend more than $27 billion in planned EV product spending to overtake its gas and diesel investment. The automaker did not believe in siding with Trump, but had a desire to have one national standard, according to GM spokesperson Jeannine Ginivan as quoted by CNN.

Support groups hailed Ford’s decision and asked Toyota and Fiat-Chrysler to follow suit. An Environmental Protection Agency spokesperson said, “It is always interesting to see the changing positions of U.S. corporations.”

Other companies that back Trump in this cause are are Hyundai, Mazda, Nissan and Kia Motors.