EPA Gets An Unlikely Ally In Fight To Reduce Vehicle Emissions

The EPA is currently fighting off a Republican-led challenge to ease emission standards for motor vehicles, and they received an unlikely ally recently: The auto industry itself. The industry that is facing tougher regulation is now arguing alongside the EPA that the NEED stronger emissions regulations and that they are more than willing to go along with the new rules. If this is the case, the legal challenge should be immediately dropped by the courts, as Ring of Fire's Farron Cousins explains.

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*This transcript was generated by a third-party transcription software company, so please excuse any typos.

There are currently 16 Republican controlled states that are suing the US environmental protection agency over tailpipe emissions that were reduced during the Trump administration. Right. We saw a lot of horrible things by the way, coming out of Donald Trump's EPA, but one of the only good things to even come outta that entire administration was that at one point, the EPA said, okay, yeah, listen, we gotta cut down on tailpipe emissions. So you need to reduce 'em by certain percentages each year up to I think 2026, you know, to help not pollute so much. Well, the state of Texas and indicted Republican attorney general Ken Paxton from Texas, filed a lawsuit against the EPA, was joined by 15 other Republican controlled states. So the EPAs having to fight this in court, and recently they gained a very unlikely ally and that ally happens to be the automotive industry. Car manufacturers are siding with the EPA in court saying, you know what? We're okay with these new regulations.

They admitted, right here it says, it's gonna challenge the industry, but it does provide us with critically important flexibilities. So they're admitting like, yeah, look, it's gonna sting a little bit, but it also gives us opportunities. It's pretty flexible. We can meet these demands. Like this isn't a big deal for us guys. We're okay with this and we're willing to move forward with it, the auto industry says. So my question at this point is how is this lawsuit not being dismissed outright? Because we're talking about regulations that do not, do not in any way affect the plaintiffs who have filed this lawsuit. The people that it does affect, the people who would really be considered the plaintiffs, are in court arguing, like we're okay with this. Like we, we don't mind. If you wanna do this, we're cool with it. So how can you have a lawsuit when you clearly lack the standing to do it? It's like if my neighbor were to walk over here and punch me in the face, and then I say, okay, listen, I'm not gonna press charges on him. He's having a rough day.

I think my dog went in his yard. So I'm just gonna let it be. I got punched, whatever. And then my neighbor over here comes out and says, oh no, I am gonna sue him for punching you. Well, you can't do that because you don't have the standing to sue another person or group for something that doesn't happen to you, but happens to me instead and I'm saying, I'm okay with it. Honestly, that is a perfect analogy because that's the same thing that's happening here. The auto industry's saying, we're fine with these new emission rules. Let us just do it and we'll move the F on. But these Republicans are never one to let a good regulation go to waste and they're using this as a political tool to give some red meat to their base that doesn't understand that if they're successful, the air that these Republican voters breathe is gonna stay a hell of a lot dirtier than it needs to be. So maybe think about that when you head to the polls in November. They're literally fighting for you to breathe dirtier air and if you're okay with that, then sure, I guess the Republican party is right for you.