Ann Carlson in Bloomberg: GM, Toyota side with Trump in emissions battle with California

General Motors Co., Toyota Motor Corp. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NVplan to back President Donald Trump in a contentious battle with California officials over automobile emissions rules, splitting with major rivals including Ford Motor Co.

Bozzella, a spokesman for the companies siding with the administration, said he held out hope for a middle ground. “We can still reach an agreement that is supported by all the parties,” he said.

Ann Carlson, a law professor at the University of Southern California at Los Angeles, was skeptical about that possibility.

“By throwing their heft behind the Trump position that California lacks the authority to issue its own standards, GM and company are making it even less likely that California and the federal government will reach some sort of compromise,” she wrote in a blog post Monday.