Under the Clean Air Act of 1970, the EPA had granted California a waiver to set exhaust standards stricter than federal limits to combat smog problems.
As the most populous state and with the fifth largest economy in the world, California has been able to influence automakers and set the pace for the rest of the country. Seventeen other states and the District of Columbia have adopted the California rules, making them de facto national standards. Twelve other states are following California’s mandate to sell only zero-emission vehicles after 2035.
In 2009, President Barack Obama set federal emissions standards based on the California rule. Last year, the Biden administration began the legal process to reinstate California’s waiver, which is expected to be completed in the coming weeks.
“This is a historic role California has played since 1970, a role that was only interrupted during the Trump administration,” said Richard Revesz, a professor of environmental law at New York University. “This is a hugely important policy, but it is also a return to the traditional way of understanding the relationship between the federal government and California regarding vehicle pollution. It is a moment of return to normalcy.”
Mr Trump’s allies see it differently, saying that no one state should be allowed to set national standards.
“We think what California is doing is outside the scope of the law, and we shouldn’t legislate federally based on what California decides to impose on its citizens,” said Thomas Pyle, the president of the Institute for Energy Research, a researcher. organization that supports the use of fossil fuels.
Meanwhile, the EPA is preparing stricter regulations on heavy truck emissions to reduce nitrogen dioxide emissions, which are linked to lung cancer, heart disease and premature death. The California truck rule, which came into effect late last year, requires manufacturers to produce increasingly cleaner trucks between 2024 and 2031.