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Defying Trump, California locks in vehicle emission deals with major automakers

(Reuters, 17 Aug 2020) California said on Monday it agreed with automakers to cut vehicle emissions, sidestepping the Trump administration.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) and major automakers on Monday confirmed they had finalized binding agreements to cut vehicle emissions in the state, defying the Trump administration's push for weaker curbs on tailpipe pollution.

The agreements with carmakers including Ford Motor Co, Volkswagen AG, Honda Motor Co and BMW AG , were first announced in July 2019 as voluntary measures prompting anger from U.S. President Donald Trump.

A month later, the Justice Department opened an antitrust probe into the agreements. The government ended the investigation without action.

The Trump administration in March finalized a rollback of U.S. vehicle emissions standards to require 1.5% annual increases in efficiency through 2026. That is far weaker than the 5% annual increases in the discarded rules adopted under President Barack Obama.

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Reuters, 17 Aug 2020: Defying Trump, California locks in vehicle emission deals with major automakers