Tesla has requested the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency not to relax current vehicle emissions standards, a move that stands in stark contrast to other automotive giants seeking looser regulations. In the very same week Tesla made this request, U.S. President Donald Trump—whose presidential campaign received $300 million in contributions from Tesla CEO Elon Musk—declared at the United Nations General Assembly that he believes climate change is a “hoax” and “fraud.”
Tesla also urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency not to repeal a 2009 legal standard known as the “Hazard Definition,” upon which many modern environmental regulations—such as automotive emissions standards—are based. In a letter to the agency, Tesla stated that this definition “is grounded in solid facts and scientific evidence.”
Since August, the EPA has been seeking public input on these proposed rollbacks of environmental regulations. Agency head Lee Zeldin stated at the time that if these cuts were approved, they would “drive a dagger into the heart of the climate change faith.”
Tesla's stated mission is to “accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy.” But the company actually benefits from stricter environmental regulations. When other automakers fail to meet fleet emissions targets, they must pay hundreds of millions of dollars to companies like Tesla to purchase “emission credits” to make up the difference. (These credits technically originate from a California program, which is also a target of Republican attacks.) While Tesla is demanding that existing standards be maintained, the company has also informed the EPA that it is willing to “explore streamlined mechanisms” to ensure the standards endure.
