THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS HARD AT WORK TRYING TO REVERSE
PRESIDENT OBAMA'S EFFORTS TO INCREASE FUEL EFFICIENCY
STANDARDS IN THE USA AND NOW WE HAVE A BETTER IDEA OF HOW
DEVASTATING THEIR EFFORTS COULD BE IN TERMS OF ENERGY USED AND
MONEY YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO SPEND TO FUEL UP YOUR CAR.
WE
ARE REFERRING THIS --
BY THE WAY, AND WE RETURNED TO A LOT OF TOPICS LIKE THIS,
THE REASON IS THIS IS ONE OF THE AREAS I WAS MOST WORRIED ABOUT
IF DONALD TRUMP GOT TO BE PRESIDENT, THAT HE WOULD BE ABLE
TO NOT ONLY NOT TAKE US FURTHER DOWN THE PATH WE NEED TO GO ON
TO MODERNIZE OUR ENERGY AND PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION AND
TRANSPORTATION, BUT MAKE IT THAT MUCH MORE DIFFICULT FOR US TO DO
ANYTHING ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE.
HE'S DOING WORSE THAN THAT, HE'S
REVERSING BASICALLY EVERYTHING BARACK OBAMA DID.
THIS WAS ONE
OF THE AREAS WHERE HE WASN'T PERFECT BUT HE DID A LOT OF GOOD
ESPECIALLY WITH THE FUEL EFFICIENCY STANDARDS, THAT WAS
HUGE, AND DIFFICULT TO DO THAT WITH ALL OF THE OPPOSITION FROM
THE AUTO LOBBY, BUT NOW THEY ARE BEING JETTISONED.
LET'S TALK
ABOUT WHAT THE EFFECT WILL BE, THE INCREASE IN ANNUAL U.S. OIL
DEMAND -- INSTEAD OF INCREASINGLY EFFICIENT CARS, WE
WILL NEED MORE AND MORE FUEL OVER TIME UNTIL FINALLY IN 2035,
881,000 BARRELS EXTRA PER DAY THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE
CONSUMING SIMPLY BECAUSE WE WON'T BE INCREASING OUR
STANDARDS.
THAT'S A GARGANTUAN AMOUNT OF FUEL WE MIGHT BE
CONSUMING.
THE REASON THERE ARE DIFFERENT ONES IS IT DEPENDS ON
THE PRICE OF OIL AND ALL THAT, BUT IF OIL DOESN'T RADICALLY
INCREASE IN PRICE WE WILL BE USING SOMETHING LIKE 1 MILLION
EXTRA BARRELS EVERY SINGLE DAY.
THAT BECAUSE WE ARE DRIVING
BIGGER CARS OR BECAUSE WE ARE DRIVING FASTER OR ANYTHING,
SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY CHOSE TO REVERSE THE STANDARDS.
THAT STANDS FOR CORPORATE EVER FUEL ECONOMY, CAFE.
AND
THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ROLLBACK.
THE KINDS OF CARS THAT POLLUTE THE ENVIRONMENT, THAT DISCHARGE
NOT ONLY CARBON, BUT EVEN IF YOU PUT THAT ASIDE, AND I DON'T
THINK YOU CAN, BUT OKAY PUT IT ASIDE FOR A MOMENT, BUT POISONS
GENERATED THAT ARE DISCHARGED INTO THE ATMOSPHERE, IT CREATES
ALL KINDS OF OTHER HEALTH ISSUES FOR AMERICANS, FOR THE AMERICANS
LIKE THE PEOPLE WHO BUY CARS AND LIVE HERE AND THAT THESE
CORPORATIONS REALLY ONLY CARE ABOUT IN THE MOMENT THAT THEY
ARE PURCHASING FUEL AND AUTOMOBILES.
AND ONE MORE WORD
ON THAT, WHEN YOU LOOK AT CANCER RATES GOING UP AND LOOK AT LUNG
DISEASE AND CARDIO PROBLEMS THAT AMERICANS SEEM TO BE PLAGUED BY,
THEY ARE RELATED TO THE ENVIRONMENT WE OPERATE IN.
THIS
IS ALL GOING TO FEED THAT, THESE POISONS THAT ARE GENERATED INTO
THE ATMOSPHERE WE ALL FUNCTION IN, THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE
SERIOUS HEALTH EFFECTS AS WELL AS ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF THE
SORT JOHN IS TALKING ABOUT.
THE ONE CONTINUING THING THAT ALWAYS GOES WITH THESE STORIES
IS THE HANDOUTS TO HUGE CORPORATIONS, IT'S TOO MUCH FOR
THEM TO BEAR.
AND OF COURSE WE JUST HAD THE TAX CUT BILL WHERE
THEY WENT THROUGH THIS AND EVERYONE -- NOT EVERYONE -- THE
TOP OF THE TOP OF CORPORATIONS NEED THESE BREAKS BECAUSE DON'T
YOU FEEL SORRY FOR THEM.
AND I DON'T KNOW HOW WE CONTINUE TO
ALLOW THIS SYMPATHY FOR GROUP THAT CONTINUES TO POLLUTE AND DO
WHATEVER THEY WANT AND BREAK ANY RULES AND LAWS AND CHANGE WHAT
THE POLITICIANS SAY AND THINK EVERY FIVE MINUTES, AND YOU
STILL SIT BACK AND GO OF COURSE THEY NEED IT.
AND THE PEOPLE WHO
LIVE NEAR THESE THINGS, THERE WAS A STORY, I WISH I REMEMBER
WHO IT WAS, THERE WAS A CEO OR THE HEAD OF A COMPANY WHERE THEY
SAID WOULD YOU LIVE NEXT YOUR PLANT?
AND HE IS LIKE, HELL NO,
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
ONCE IT BECOMES PERSONAL IT'S LIKE, YOU
KNOW WHO I AM?
I'M RICH, I DON'T LIVE NEXT TO THESE PLACES.
BUT
WHEN IT'S ANYONE ELSE IT'S, WHAT ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT?
AND TO THE POINT ON YOUR BAILOUTS THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT,
CORPORATE WELFARE JUST NOW WITH THE TAX CUTS, THERE WAS A
BAILOUT OF THE AUTO INDUSTRY.
PEOPLE SEEM TO FORGET THAT IN
THIS CONVERSATION, BECAUSE IT'S CONVENIENTLY FORGETTABLE, SINCE
PART OF THAT BAILOUT WAS, AND WE ARE GOING TO TRY TO ADHERE TO
FUEL STANDARDS AND FUEL EFFICIENCY STANDARDS IN THE
DECADES AHEAD.
NOW THAT'S GONE.
OTHER IS CORPORATE WELFARE OF
THE SORT YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT WHICH IS ASSOCIATED WITH TAX
LEGISLATION, AND ITS WAY IN THE REARVIEW, THE BAILOUT OF THE
AUTO INDUSTRY.
TOO VITAL IN INDUSTRY FOR US TO ALLOW THEM TO
FAIL, AND APPARENTLY TOO VITAL AN INDUSTRY FOR US TO ALLOW
THEM NOT TO JUST WRITE WHATEVER LEGISLATION THEY WANT
THROUGH LOBBYISTS.
AND THE COST OF THESE REGULATIONS TO INCREASE FUEL
EFFICIENCY STANDARDS, THAT HAS SOME COST ASSOCIATED WITH IT,
BUT THEY COULDN'T PAY FOR THAT WITH THEIR TAXES BEING CUT FROM
35% DOWN TO 21?
THAT WOULD PAY FOR SOME OF IT.
NEVER ENOUGH MONEY.
WHAT IF WE MAKE IT -10%, THEN CAN WE HAVE MORE EFFICIENT CARS?
THAT'S A HUGE PROBLEM, I'M GLAD YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT THE
POLLUTION, DO THE RESEARCH, THE OIL WE BURN AND ALL OF THAT, THE
COAL, IT LITERALLY KILLS MILLIONS AROUND THE GLOBE, AND
YOU CAN AVOID SOME OF THAT BY LIVING IN A NICE, FANCY AREA BUT
STILL AT THE END OF THE DAY YOU HAVE TO BREATHE THE SAME AIR AS
THE REST OF US.
AND THEY WANT TO FREEZE HEALTHCARE, SO WHEN PEOPLE DO
GET SICK THERE'S NO WAY YOU CAN PAY FOR A CHANCE TO TAKE CARE OF
YOURSELF.
YOU ARE SCREWED AND THEN YOU ARE SCREWED AFTER THAT.
ON THAT POINT, LEAVE ASIDE THOSE WHO CAN'T PAY FOR THE
HEALTHCARE.
AS JOHN SAYS, EVERYONE WILL BE AFFECTED BY THE
POLLUTION.
RICH PEOPLE, POOR PEOPLE, YOU CAN MOVE TO SUBURBAN
CONNECTICUT, OR SUBURBAN TEXAS IN OIL COUNTRY, BUT YOU ARE
STILL BREATHING THIS AIR AND IF YOU LOOK AT SURVEYS OF THE
UNITED STATES NOW THE AIR QUALITY ISN'T GOOD.
IN SOME
AREAS THERE'S A TOXICITY THAT HAS MEASURABLE HEALTH EFFECTS.
SO TO YOUR POINT, JOHN, VERY IMPORTANT HERE.
THESE HEALTH EFFECTS WILL LAST FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
AND BY THE WAY IF THAT ISN'T CONVINCING ENOUGH THINK ABOUT
YOUR POCKETBOOK AS WELL, BECAUSE HAVING TO BUY ALL THAT EXTRA
FUEL -- IT'S NOT LIKE THE COMPANIES ARE PAYING FOR THAT,
YOU ARE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT.
SO ALL THIS EXTRA COST IS BEING
TAKEN OFF OF FORD AND TOYOTA AND PUT ONTO YOU AND IT'S A LOT.
PURCHASING THAT EXTRA FUEL WILL COST BETWEEN 193 TO 236 BILLION
ADDITIONAL DOLLARS BETWEEN NOW AND 2035 AND IT WILL ONLY GO UP
FROM THERE IF WE DON'T GET SOME SORT OF RATIONAL, PROGRESSIVE
PRESIDENT TO PUT BACK INTO EFFECT THESE CAFE STANDARDS,
THAT IS A LOT OF MONEY FOR YOU TO PAY ON TOP OF EVERYTHING
ELSE.