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>> The Trump Administration rolling back emission standards for automakers. This sets up a fight with California which is currently allowed to set its own standards and has done so. Joining us now, Marc Morano now, executive director of climate depot.com and author of that book, “The Politically Incorrect Guide to Climate Change.” All right, mark, seems to me that California might win this one, because they have set their own standards, they’re allowed to set their own standards, and maybe the rest of the country has to adopt California’s standards which is a setback for President Trump. What say you?
> Marc Morano: Well, what says me is this is the first administration that’s directly challenging the tyranny of California, which is one of the most overregulated states coming out and setting federal auto policy for years now. And California doesn’t want to give up this role. They’re trying — the feds are trying to revoke the idea that California standards become the national standard, and they want to return that back to make this reasonable. They’re talking about SUVs being extinct at 55 miles per gallon on a corporate average, and that’s going to happen by 2025. So the Trump Administration is trying to stop the regulatory nuts in California from controlling the auto industry.
Stuart Varney: So if California moves to these new and higher standards for emissions and mileage, what improvement does that offer for the climate change people?
Marc Morano: Well, it offers a lot. First of all, the reason California’s been doing this is to meet climate change targets set up by these various global warming policies. Now, keep in mind even the U.N. Admits that even if fully implemented by their own science there’d be no detectable impact in a hundred years. So this is all virtue signaling, out has no impact on the climate. It’s a game they’re playing. They’ve already had the agreement. The Obama Administration has the agreement in place that SUVs are going to be, essentially, lighter, smaller and virtually nonexistent if this goes forward. Trump is trying to stop it. California wants to now take them to court, and we’re looking at a protracted legal battle. But it’s probably one of the best arguments for secession of California. For far too long, they’ve been regulating industry and making it to their whims and dictates and forcing the rest of the country to go along with them. And SUV sales, by the way, are now one-third of all cars in the world, they’ve tripled in the last ten years. Not only Americans like bigger, safer cars, but the rest of the world is discovering them too. So these are bureaucrats trying to regulate their ideology on people based on climate change, ultimately.
Stuart Varney: Let me get this clear, mark. If California gets its standards, does the state get rid of SUVs?
[Laughter]
>> Morano: Well, no, but it makes SUVs harder and harder to manufacture and sell. We’re talking about our current mileage is 38 corporate average fuel economy. It’s going to jump to 55 in 2025. So what that means is SUVs are going to have to shrink, get smaller, other cars are going to get smaller. There are verified studies showing smaller, lighter cars are more dangerous, and essentially it’s a way for nameless, faceless bureaucrats in California to dictate car policy. That’s what they’ve been doing and they hope to continue doing. Trump Administration’s standing up, fighting it. The Obama Administration’s already agreed, California’s talking about taking it further. Trump wants to reverse and go the other direction, setting up a classic court battle that could be epic, it could take years, but at least we’re finally having that fight.
Stuart Varney: Got it. Marc Morano, thanks for joining us.
Morano: Thank you, Stuart.
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