Today it was announced that Toyota Motor Corp. has ended talks with the Environmental Protection Agency to partner on an operational review at the agency. In December, during EPA administrator Scott Pruitt’s congressional hearing, Pruitt announced the EPA will be partnering with Toyota on an operational review. At the time, the Sierra Club condemned the partnership.

Toyota’s vehicles are regulated by the EPA under vehicle emission standards (clean car standards). Toyota is currently urging the EPA to weaken these standards. In March of 2003, the EPA reached a settlement with Toyota for failing to disclose information about a faulty part that increased ozone pollution in 2.2 million vehicles sold in the U.S.

In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:

"Today’s announcement makes it clear that the American people won’t stand for arrangements that put corporations in the driver’s seat of our government agencies. For the EPA to partner with a company it is supposed to regulate while it lobbies to roll back vehicle emission safeguards is a blatant, dangerous conflict of interest. Sadly, it’s just another example of Scott Pruitt trying everything he can to put the profits of corporations before the public’s health and best interests.”