Automakers are furious after California moved forward with a plan to ban the sale of all gas-powered cars by 2035.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday granted two requests from California to enforce strict vehicle emissions standards, after finding that opponents were unable to shoulder the legal burden arising from the inconsistency of the federal Clean Air Act .
“California has long had the authority to request waivers from EPA to protect its residents from dangerous air pollution from mobile sources such as cars and trucks,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement.
“Today’s actions reflect EPA’s commitment to work with states to reduce emissions and take action on the threat of climate change.”
The new waiver is important not only for California, but also for more than a dozen other states that follow leading national vehicle emissions standards.
Despite the state’s environmental victory, the requests are expected to be immediately reversed when President-elect Donald Trump takes office in late January.
The Republican has said he will move to revoke all of California’s waivers as part of an industry-friendly approach that includes boosting fossil fuel production and repealing key parts of a major 2022 climate law.
Trump revoked California’s authority on emissions in 2019, but was reversed three years later by the Biden EPA, which restored the state’s authority in 2022.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday granted two requests from Gov. Gavin Newsom to enforce strict vehicle emissions standards, including a plan to ban the sale of all gas-powered cars by 2035.
The new waiver is important not only for California, but also for more than a dozen other states that follow leading national vehicle emissions standards. Newsom said the EPA’s approval of the Advanced Clean Cars rule was a vote of confidence in California’s performance
That year, the Blue State banned the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. Under this policy, used gas-powered cars could still be driven and sold.
Several states followed the policy change after California announced it.
Ford, Honda, Volkswagen and other major automakers meet current California emissions standards, but some major auto companies have questioned the latest EPA exemption.
“It will take a miracle to achieve sales mandates under current market realities. There needs to be a balance and some states need to leave the (California) program,” said John Bozzella, CEO of Alliance for Automotive Innovation.
Most Democratic-leaning states that adopted California’s rules are not selling nearly the 35 percent level of EV sales required next year.
According to Bozzella, it is also unlikely that they will reach the target of 100 percent EV sales by 2035.
The CEO, who expects Trump to eliminate the waiver, said that while automakers make electric vehicles, consumers still have “a reasonable expectation that they can still choose what kind of vehicle they want to drive.”
Scott Vazin, a spokesman for Toyota in North America, worried that the new rules will leave some consumers unable to purchase a vehicle that suits their “mobility needs.”
Still, Gov. Gavin Newsom — who often praises California’s leadership on climate policy — said the EPA’s approval of the Advanced Clean Cars rule was a vote of confidence in California’s performance in “protecting our people by purifying our air and reducing pollution’.
“Naysayers like President-elect Trump would rather side with the oil industry than consumers and U.S. automakers, but California will continue to drive new innovations in the marketplace,” he said.
Despite the state’s environmental victory, the requests are expected to be immediately reversed when President-elect Donald Trump takes office in late January.
Trump revoked California’s authority on emissions in 2019, only to be reversed three years later by the Biden EPA, which restored the state’s authority in 2022
Environmental groups also applauded the Biden administration’s action.
“The EPA’s approval is a critical step forward in protecting our lungs from pollution and our wallets from the costs of combustion fuels,” said Paul Cort, director of Earthjustice’s Right To Zero campaign.
“The gradual shift in vehicle sales to zero-emission models will reduce smog and household costs while growing California’s clean energy workforce.”
Kathy Harris, clean vehicles director at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the decision shows respect for California and other states.
“California has decided that moving to cleaner, zero-emission vehicles is the best way to address the unique burdens (air pollution) facing the country,” she said.
“This is exactly how our system of federalism should work. If other states don’t like California’s approach, they don’t have to follow it. But no one should object to the long-standing authority of states to act to protect their residents.”
The EPA’s action comes as the Supreme Court said last week it will hear a business-backed appeal of an earlier California waiver issued by the Biden administration.
The justices agreed to hear an appeal filed by fuel makers who objected to an EPA exemption granted in 2022.
The Supreme Court will not review the waiver itself, but a related issue: whether fuel makers have the legal standing to challenge it.
A federal appeals court ruled that the companies did not have the right to sue because they had not provided evidence that they would be affected by the waiver, which directly affects automakers.