Thumbs up: A victory for clean air

California’s vehicle emission standards have resulted in cleaner air and enormous gains in fuel efficiency, something to be thankful for when gas is so expensive — and anytime you take a deep breath. The state’s tailpipe rules date to the 1970s, when the Nixon administration authorized California to set its own, more stringent standards for cars and trucks to combat smog. Seventeen other states and the District of Columbia adopted California’s rules, meaning their residents also breathe cleaner air and burn less fuel. Then came Donald Trump, whose administration was reflexively hostile to environmental protection and especially to California. In 2019, Trump revoked the state’s authority to set its own standards and even launched an antitrust investigation of four automakers that entered a voluntary agreement to further reduce tailpipe emissions. This month, the Biden administration restored California’s authority, a decision hailed by, among others, the American Lung Association. Thumbs up.

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