California to Sue Federal Government Over Vehicle Emissions Standards
California is gearing up to take legal action against the federal government in a bid to reclaim its authority to establish vehicle emissions standards. State Attorney General Rob Bonta made this announcement in a statement provided to DailyTech.
In a recent development, Senate Republicans voted to overturn a waiver that had permitted California to enforce stricter air pollution regulations for vehicles. This move marks a significant shift as California has been granted waivers over 100 times in the past five decades.
Bonta criticized the use of the Congressional Review Act to challenge California’s waivers, calling it a partisan attack on the state’s environmental protection efforts. He emphasized California’s commitment to combatting harmful pollution and vowed to challenge the legality of this action.
Apart from California, sixteen other states and the District of Columbia have adopted California’s emissions standards, with many of them phasing out fossil fuel vehicles. The recent Senate votes also targeted waivers related to stricter emissions standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.
California’s zero-emissions mandate, scheduled to commence in 2026, aimed to increase sales of zero-emissions vehicles until reaching a 100% target by 2035. This mandate primarily focused on hydrogen fuel cells and battery electric vehicles, with EVs emerging as the preferred choice due to infrastructure challenges faced by fuel cell technologies.
Despite the ambitious targets, achieving the required ZEV sales percentage has posed challenges for automakers. The state’s ZEV sales remained stagnant in 2024, contrasting with previous years where significant growth was observed.
The recent Senate vote disregarded advice from the Senate parliamentarian and the Government Accountability Office, both of which deemed the waiver repeal under the Congressional Review Act as inappropriate. This act allows for a simple majority vote to overturn regulations without the possibility of filibuster.
Attorney General Rob Bonta had anticipated such efforts by Republicans and expressed readiness to defend California’s position against any wrongful use of the Congressional Review Act. He stressed the importance of upholding the state’s environmental policies in the face of legal challenges.
Updated 7:37 a.m. Pacific: Added news of California preparing a lawsuit against the federal government.
