Washington – The Trump administration is escalating the future of California’s gasoline cars in the U.S. and has drawn up a legislative maneuver with Congressional Republicans to strip California of decades of California to establish national fuel efficiency standards.
Two Trump administration officials confirmed Wednesday that discussions are being discussed about citing the company Congressional Review Act To end decades of exemptions, California has made extensive impact on mileage standards. The Review Act allows lawmakers to draft government rules in a window with a simple majority. A Republican lawmaker from California introduced legislation last month to end federal exemptions.
Automakers have been bending their production lines for decades California Mileage Standardpartly because of the size of the California market, partly because the industry finds it a safer bet – power changes in Washington are so common – more stringent than alternatives to fuel efficiency standards.
The federal government can date President Nixon’s administration for more than 50 years, recognizing the unique and serious air pollution problems that plague California. The Environmental Protection Agency, which allows eight presidents on both sides Exemption of the Clean Air Actallowing California to set anti-pollution standards is stricter than federal law requires.
Molly Vaseliou, EPA’s deputy director of public affairs, told the Times that the California exemption “has national influence.”
“It does not quarantine to California. When the EPA grants an exemption, each state has the option to comply with California’s rules rather than federal government rules,” Vaseliou said. “California’s policy is a national choice.”
“This will make vehicle choice stand out from millions of Americans and increase the cost of gas and hybrid vehicles nationwide. It’s a major economic rule,” she added.
Asked about the administrative plan at a press conference Wednesday, New York Times“Their current position is not surprising to me, because it is a good position, not only the Trump administration 1.0, but also due to the previous Republican administration trying to undermine California’s exemption and pollution standards for decades,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said.
Newsom-backed countries’ most ambitious goals are Selling of new gasoline cars is prohibited By 2035, in California. Under President Biden, federal regulators have approved the ongoing abandonment of the Clean Air Act.
But California’s waivers have become more controversial, as the EPA allows 11 other states to backpack on stricter clean air rules, including a 2035 mission to sell only zero-emission vehicles.
Although California rules affect only a dozen states, Republicans believe they constitute national policy because about half of the country’s car sales occur in these states.
EPA administrator Lee Zeldin sent the exemption to Congress last week.
“The Biden administration failed to send California exemption rules to Congress, preventing members of Congress from deciding on huge measures that have a huge impact and costly across the United States,” Celding said in a statement last week.
Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) Announced plan To “disapprove of the exemption.”
“Californians should be able to choose the tools of their choice and should not have the choice of Gavin Newsom or unelected bureaucratic decisions,” Kelly said in a statement.
Trump and other Republicans have expressed doubts about the consensus of the world’s scientific community – human activities, especially vehicle emissions, help increase the concentration of the planet’s warm greenhouse gases.
Trump managed to play a leading role in California’s vehicle emissions during his first term in the White House. His Department of Transportation has issued a rule that prohibits any state from setting its own standards for car pollution. Based on this change, Trump’s EPA revoked the state’s legal exemption from the EPA to prevent it from enforcing its tailpipe emission standards.
California is trying to fight back by going directly to automakers; as the state’s highest air quality officials are able to reach a deal with five automakers in 2019 to reduce vehicle emissions, regardless of what the federal government does. When Biden occupied the White House in 2021, Democrats restored California’s special ability to formulate rules related to air quality.
Trump and attorneys attorneys in 16 conservative countries have also challenged California’s ability to make its own rules. U.S. Supreme Court in December Dismissed this challengewhile leaving open pathways, seeking narrower attraction.
In 2023, the Government Accountability Bureau found that California’s exemption was not subject to Congress scrutiny. But the EPA said that despite the similar GAO ruling, other institutional rules still comply with the Congressional Review Act.
California Air Resources Commission spokesman Dave Clegern questioned the legitimacy of the Trump administration’s move.
“No EPA done by the Trump EPA in 50 years under the Democratic or Republican administration did anything, and what GAO confirmed was non-compliance with the law,” Clegne said in a statement.
Pinho reported from Washington, Rainey, Wick and Wilner to Los Angeles. Times worker Tony Briscoe contributed to the report.
