On July 14, a bipartisan group of 15 governors announced a commitment "to work collaboratively to move from dirty fossil fuel trucks towards zero-emission electric vehicles." The memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by 12 Democratic governors -- Gavin Newsom of California, Jared Polis of Colorado, Ned Lamont of Connecticut, David Ige of Hawaii, Janet Mills of Maine, Phil Murphy of New Jersey, Andrew Cuomo of New York, Roy Cooper of North Carolina, Kate Brown of Oregon, Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania, Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island, and Jay Inslee of Washington -- and three Republicans -- Larry Hogan of Maryland, Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, and Phil Scott of Vermont -- and "calls for 30 percent of new truck and bus sales to be zero-emission by 2030 and 100 percent zero-emission by 2050."
The signing of the MOU by these governors is significant. As Patricio Portillo of the National Resources Defense Council writes:
"Transitioning to zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles is long overdue. When these vehicles burn diesel or gasoline for power, they belch black smoke filled with toxic air pollution, such as nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM), or soot. The transportation sector is the single largest source of NOx emissions, which leads to smog, and a major source of PM pollution. Heavy-duty vehicles make up the largest share of transportation’s NOx pollution and is expected to continue being a significant source of smog over the next decade.
"This pollution chokes cities and rural communities, resulting in increased respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, including asthma, lung cancer, heart attacks, and strokes, and can cause premature death. The hazard to public health and the environment of these and other pollutants is so great, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets national standards, known as National Ambient Air Quality Standards, to identify pollution concentration levels that are unhealthy. Sadly, 45 percent of U.S. residents live in counties with unhealthy levels of smog or soot.
"Air pollution is a public health crisis for many Americans. In the 15 states that signed the MOU, transportation’s NOx emissions range from almost half to three-quarters of all in-state NOx pollution."
Additionally, Portillo mentions how the ongoing coronavirus pandemic disproportionately impacts Americans living in "areas with higher long-term levels of air pollution," particularly minorities.
Despite the significant step the aforementioned 15 governors have taken to move towards zero-emission buses and trucks, that still leaves 35 states that have not yet signed the MOU. According to the National Institute on Money in State Politics, the governors who have not signed the MOU have taken an average of $629,920.17 from the oil and gas industry throughout their gubernatorial campaigns, 6.55 times more than the average of governors who have signed the memorandum, who have taken an average of $96,110.73.
By far the top recipient of oil and gas money among these 35 governors is Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX), who received $18,828,461 from the industry alone over his two campaigns in 2014 and 2018. His largest donor is Midland Energy founder Syed Javaid Anwar, who was a top industry donor during the 2018 midterm elections. Anwar contributed a total of over $2 million to Abbott over his two campaigns, more than twice the amount of the governor's second-largest industry donor, Western Refining board chairman Paul L. Foster, who gave him just under $995 thousand.
Following Abbott, the second-highest recipient of oil and gas money among the states that have not signed the MOU is Gov. John Bel Edwards (D-LA), who has taken $356,670 throughout his 2015 and 2019 campaigns, his top donor being former Sweet Lake Land & Oil Company owner Laura A. Leach. The other governors on this list who have taken at least $100,000 from the industry during their campaigns are Govs. Mike DeWine (R-OH, $296,483), Gary Herbert (R-UT, $283,200), Asa Hutchinson (R-AR, $242,093), Kevin Stitt (R-OK, $239,102), Kim Reynolds (R-IA, $217,300), Brian Kemp (R-GA, $201,200), Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM, $198,480), Doug Burgum (R-ND, $175,530), Pete Ricketts (R-NE, $142,600), and Tate Reeves (R-MS, $136,206).
In spite of these governors' large donations from the oil and gas industry, Portillo still encourages them to join the other states in signing the the MOU. "This is a historic undertaking with clear public health, environmental, and economic benefits offered by zero-emission trucks and buses," he writes. "The collective learnings and state actions initiated as a result of the MOU will prove invaluable for states working to correct structural inequities and pursue a sustainable economic recovery."
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