A New York Times investigation in December 2018 revealed^[19] the behind-the-scenes influence of oil company Marathon Petroleum and major petroleum industry trade association American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers^[20] (AFPM) in pushing for weaker clean car standards. AFPM, whose members include industry titans like ExxonMobil and Chevron, has been a leading proponent of lowering the standards.

AFPM did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but the group praised^[21] the Trump administration’s initial proposal to revise the standards in 2018.

The American Energy Alliance^[22] (AEA), a fossil fuel industry front group that has been a major recipient of AFPM cash, also advocated for the rollbacks and celebrated the announcement Tuesday of the final rule. “This is a win all around,” AEA president Thomas Pyle^[23], a former lobbyist for Koch Industries^[24], said in a statement^[25]. He added that AEA would prefer the CAFÉ program be eliminated entirely.

Competitive Enterprise Institute^[26], which has downplayed the climate crisis and has received $2.1 million in funding from ExxonMobil since 1997, also applauded^[27] the new SAFE rule while echoing its preference for even further deregulation.

During a House Oversight Committee hearing last fall on the oil industry’s influence on the clean car standards rollback, a Republican committee member inadvertently referenced the oil industry in defending an unsuccessful attempt by him and his GOP colleagues to adjourn the hearing. That initial inclination to bring up the oil industry, as DeSmog previously reported^[28], “set the stage for witnesses to reveal who really benefits.”

In response to the announcement finalizing the SAFE rule, former EPA administrator under Obama and current president of the Natural Resources Defense Council Gina McCarthy said^[29] crippling the clean car standards “makes no sense” and only benefits the oil companies.

“It will harm the air we breathe, stall progress in fighting the climate crisis, and increase the cost of driving,” she said^[30]. “The only winner from this action is the oil industry, which wants us stuck driving dirty gas guzzlers as long as possible.”