Alan Baum

A Detroit-area auto and environmental consultant

 A Detroit-area auto and environmental consultant

Alan Baum on KCRW

California’s relentless clean-air enforcer, Mary Nichols, has divided the automobile industry. After weeks of secret negotiations, the Chair of the State’s Air Resources Board has announced that Ford, Honda VW and BMW of America won’t go along with President Trump’s rollback of Barack Obama’s fuel-economy standards. Nichols claims it’s an “olive branch,” giving car makers the “flexibility” to clean up the air at the same time they continue to market vehicles that make the most money. Brady Dennis of the Washington Post calls it a “big deal,” even if Toyota, GM and 11 other companies revert to Trump’s new federal standards--at least for the moment. Alan Baum is a consultant for both the industry and environmental organizations. He says the four who made the deal with California have a slight lead on their competitors in developing the technology of the future, with China currently far ahead of them all. He says the western car makers are doing a poor job of educating consumers about the benefits of hybrids and electrics. Nichols’s history with the Air Resources Board goes back to the 1970’s. She was named Chair by Republican Governor Arnold Schwartenegger and reappointed by Democrats Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom. She made an international name for herself for years ago when she blew the whistle on Volkswagen for faking emissions tests on the diesel cars it sold for decades all over the world.

California v. Trump on auto emissions

California’s relentless clean-air enforcer, Mary Nichols, has divided the automobile industry. After weeks of secret negotiations, the Chair of the State’s Air Resources Board has announced that Ford, Honda VW and BMW of America won’t go along with President Trump’s rollback of Barack Obama’s fuel-economy standards. Nichols claims it’s an “olive branch,” giving car makers the “flexibility” to clean up the air at the same time they continue to market vehicles that make the most money. Brady Dennis of the Washington Post calls it a “big deal,” even if Toyota, GM and 11 other companies revert to Trump’s new federal standards--at least for the moment. Alan Baum is a consultant for both the industry and environmental organizations. He says the four who made the deal with California have a slight lead on their competitors in developing the technology of the future, with China currently far ahead of them all. He says the western car makers are doing a poor job of educating consumers about the benefits of hybrids and electrics. Nichols’s history with the Air Resources Board goes back to the 1970’s. She was named Chair by Republican Governor Arnold Schwartenegger and reappointed by Democrats Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom. She made an international name for herself for years ago when she blew the whistle on Volkswagen for faking emissions tests on the diesel cars it sold for decades all over the world.

from To the Point

More from KCRW

With the narrow approval of Governor Gavin Newsom’s $6.4 billion mental health bond, Prop 1, the work begins to build thousands of treatment beds.

from KCRW Features

In light of recent developments in the Julian Assange extradition case, former CIA officer John Kiriakou joins host Robert Scheer on this episode of the Scheer Intelligence podcast, to…

from Scheer Intelligence

Residents want a nearby landfill — where a chemical reaction is happening underneath — to shut down to preserve their health. Months later, it’s still operating.

from KCRW Features

With thousands of votes yet to be counted, political observer Raphael Sonenshein zooms in on the Senate race and key congressional races in Southern California.

from KCRW Features

Yes, you can live your green values all the way to the grave.

from The Anti-Dread Climate Podcast

Could the presidential nominees hurt their congressional colleagues down the ballot? Plus, we examine the president’s response to an Easter controversy.

from Left, Right & Center

The people in charge of California’s state parks once focused on just preserving land, but now they’re tasked with saving it from climate-driven collapse.

from KCRW Features

This week, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Indigenous ecologist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass speaks about the virtues of moss and how one of the smallest and humblest plants on the planet…

from Life Examined

How should the media cover a Biden/Trump rematch? What mistakes did we see in coverage of the special counsel testimony? Should perception influence policy?

from Left, Right & Center