California Emission Standards Limited

President Donald Trump revoked California’s authority to set stricter emissions standards last month. By doing so, cars may become cheaper, yet they may take a larger toll on the environment than most people would like.

California has had some of the strictest pollution standards in the country due to the heavy population. There are approximately 14.6 million automobiles on the road in California, the highest in the nation, according to Statista. These automobiles account for 41 percent of emissions in California.

“The federal government has regulations and those, I feel, are the baseline we should have,” Environmental Science teacher Marie Kuhn said.

“I believe that each state can set their own standards for what they want for their states.”

Trump is revoking California’s Federal Waiver “in order to produce far less expensive cars for the consumer,” according to his Twitter account.

“Trump’s idea is … let’s hold the manufacturers of automobiles to national standards. So, the national standards are a little bit easier on car manufacturers,” Economics teacher Chris Wilson said.

“There are still standards and Trump believes those standards are still very high, but it’s going to allow many people that own businesses in the state of California to stay here.”

While environmentalists are wary of the effects that the policy change will have on the environment, others claim that the economic impact outweighs any potential concern.

“I understand that Trump is more of a president that focuses on economics that look like good statistics, but he doesn’t… understand the consequences of [these changes],” Economics and AP Environmental Science student Gimin Kim said.