GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM: Protecting American jobs – and air

Not too long ago Republicans and Democrats could find common ground on clean air and water But we are in a darker time now We are far from the days when conservative heroes Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan signed the Clean Air Act in and the Montreal Protocol in landmark initiatives that put the wellbeing of Americans over the interests of polluters Instead this week Senate Republicans are illegally using the Congressional Review Act to undermine California s work to make and keep the air breathable Eliminating California s clean-air waivers is an attack on decades of work that began in earnest when then-Governor Reagan established the state s Air Guidance Board in SENATE GOP VOWS VOTE TO END BIDEN EPA WAIVER GRANTED TO PUSH DRIVERS TO EV CARSCalifornia s clean-air standards which other states have chosen to follow have pushed American car companies to innovate and to become globally competitive Global electric car sales rose by in the first quarter of primarily driven by the growing affordability of electric models American companies founded right here in California pioneered electric vehicles but we pitfall losing our advantage in the global marketplace China is now the world s EV manufacturing hub responsible for more than of global production with Chinese imports making up three-quarters of the increase in EV sales across all emerging economies outside of China in Meanwhile the U S has become a net importer of electric cars Instead of turning that around Republicans and specific leaders in the auto industry are giving up California has worked with the auto industry on reasonable and cost-effective air-quality standards for over five decades Until now they have been good partners Overturning the standards that drive American manufacturing innovation will destroy the footholds we ve made in this domain and will be the death of legacy automakers thousands of good-paying manufacturing jobs in the United States CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONRepublicans have decided that clean air and good jobs aren t priorities It s unclear what s critical to them but it s certainly not American workers In Ford informed a billion battery manufacturing campus in Glendale Kentucky that will add close to new jobs In Toyota announced it s investing billion now totaling nearly billion in a clean wagon battery and strength storage project in Liberty North Carolina that is expected to create jobs in a Republican district These investments happened because clean-car policies succeeded in pushing these companies to stay competitive globally and to do better for these American communities What will become of them now Republicans want to cut off the driving force behind this progress even if that means stopping investments in their own districts If we lose this fight we don t just lose California s leadership on clean cars we lose the race for the future California s clean car rule is a critical test situation for the U S clean automobile strategy for the st century It s why automakers are completely investing in electric It s how we re cutting toxicity and building a sphere that reflects our values And it s how we re protecting this country from the economic tsunami headed our way If Republicans succeed in gutting our standards we re clearing the road for China to dominate the global auto field Last year Chinese manufacturer BYD Automotive debuted its Seagull model a luxury EV nicknamed the Lamborghini mini for as low as It has set an entirely new bar for the EV domain and the car industry as a whole If Republicans fold the streets in Asia Europe and Africa will be dominated by affordable Chinese models like this instead of American ones Republican plans to prevent states from pushing American car companies to do better are a disservice to this country American car companies will be outmatched Workers will suffer Nothing less than the air we breathe and our financial market is at stake As California has shown over and over again there is a better way one that leads to clean air good jobs and another century of innovation and economic prosperity