Protecting public health in the fallout of the Volkswagen pollution scandal

  Four years ago, President Barack Obama was joined by the CEOs of 13 major automakers to announce new tailpipe emissions standards for cars and trucks sold in the United States. One notable absence from this gathering was Jonathan Browning, the then president and CEO of Volkswagen, or VW, Group of America. Browning released a statement refusing to endorse the tough new standards because of the company’s commitment to diesel engines. We now know that VW’s commitment to diesel engines may have led them to violate the law.