Here's what you need to know:
- The governors from 11 states (including California, New York, and Oregon) are reaffirming their commitment to clean air, cleaner vehicles, and environmental protections following this week's Senate vote to restrict state-level emissions standards.
- Supporters of Congress's action claim California’s regulations overreach, while opponents argue the move undermines state rights and the Clean Air Act.
- California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced plans to sue the federal government, asserting that the rollback of emissions authority is politically driven and detrimental to public health and the environment.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the U.S. Climate Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of 24 state governors, have launched the Affordable Clean Cars Coalition in response to this week's Senate vote revoking strict state-level emissions standards enacted by CARB.
[Related: Congress formally spikes California's emissions regs]
For now, these 10 Governors have joined Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom to advance clean vehicles on their own: Jared Polis (CO), Matt Meyer (DE), Wes Moore (MD), Maura Healey (MA), Phil Murphy (NJ), Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM), Kathy Hochul (NY), Tina Kotek (OR), Dan McKee (RI), and Bob Ferguson (WA).
The group quickly issued the following statement explaining their position following the Senate's votes on Joint Resolutions 87 and 89, which passed by narrow margins.
“The federal government and Congress are putting polluters over people and creating needless chaos for consumers and the market, but our commitment to safeguarding Americans’ fundamental right to clean air is resolute. We will continue collaborating as states and leveraging our longstanding authority under the Clean Air Act, including through state programs that keep communities safe from pollution, create good-paying jobs, increase consumer choice, and help Americans access cleaner and more affordable cars. As we consider next steps for our clean vehicle programs, our states will engage stakeholders and industry to provide the regulatory certainty needed while redoubling our efforts to build a cleaner and healthier future.”
These 11 states are now focusing on solutions to make new vehicles not only cleaner but also more affordable by "reducing cost barriers, increasing availability of options, and expanding accessible charging and fueling infrastructure."
How these goals will be accomplished remains unknown.
The new political reality further revives a long-time national debate over states' rights vs federal authority.
For example, proponents of Congress's actions argue that California's environmental laws, led by CARB, are the result of unelected bureaucrats attempting to impose their authority over the entire country, automakers, and other related industries.
Opponents, meanwhile, are not only arguing for states' rights over what they view as federal overreach, but also for the preservation of the Clean Air Act, passed in 1970.
CARB Chair Liane Randolph, in an official statement, argues that "Since the Clean Air Act was adopted in 1970, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has granted California more than 100 waivers for its clean air and climate efforts. California has always demonstrated that its standards are feasible, and that manufacturers have enough lead time to develop the technology to meet them. It has done so for every waiver it has submitted."
On Thursday, Calif. Attorney General Rob Bonta announced his intention to sue the Trump Administration as part of the state's ongoing efforts to fight for its ability to set its own vehicle emissions rules.
“The federal government’s overreach is illogical,” Bonta said. “It’s politically motivated, and it comes at the expense of Californians’ lives and livelihoods.”
Meanwhile, Clean Freight Coalition Executive Director Jim Mullen told Clean Trucking sister publication CCJ that the "trucking industry will continue to pursue an 'all of the above' strategy to reduce commercial vehicle emissions, while at the same time protecting the supply chain and the economy."
