Trump's EPA Considers Revoking California's Climate Action Waivers
In a US Supreme Court filing, the Trump administration's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has indicated its intention to reconsider and potentially rescind California's authority to implement stringent automobile emission regulations aimed at addressing climate change.
The EPA's request to pause ongoing litigation aims to reevaluate the validity of a 2022 Biden administration decision that upheld California's Advanced Clean Car program. This program mandates manufacturers to gradually increase the production of zero-emission vehicles by the 2025 model year.
The lawsuit, brought by an oil industry trade group and Valero Energy Corp., challenges the EPA's authority to grant California the waiver it needs to set its own emission standards. The plaintiffs argue that they are directly impacted by these regulations and have standing to pursue legal action.
The Trump administration had previously withdrawn the waiver during its first term but reinstated it after Joe Biden became president. Under Biden's EPA, California regulations were further authorized, requiring the sale of zero-emission vehicles by the next decade and eventually banning gasoline-powered car sales by 2035.
Along with the emission case, the Trump administration filed motions to pause three other Supreme Court cases involving EPA clashes and student loan repayment disputes.