California’s has been able to set higher emissions standards than those of the federal government since `the 1960s due to the state’s unique geography and history of intense air pollution, highlighted by the thick smog that once blanketed Southern California.
The White House action comes amid its ongoing push to roll back Obama-era environmental rules that President Donald Trump argues have held back the U.S. economy, a senior administration official told CNBC.
The Trump administration’s plan is to show that the EPA was wrong to grant those waivers, showing the agency granted the waivers unlawfully. The Trump administration’ has relaxed the emission rules of the Obama administration, along with anything else that Trump’s predecessor has put into law, and most people will agree it is more a personal thing than good governmental action on this president’s part.
CNN News is reporting that California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said in a statement that the Trump administration “has abdicated its responsibility to the rest of the world on cutting emissions and fighting global warming” and is acting “on a political vendetta.”
The governor added that the Trump administration action “could have devastating consequences for our kids’ health and the air we breathe if California were to roll over. But we will not – we will fight this latest attempt and defend our clean car standards. California, global markets, and Mother Nature will prevail,” he said.
This fight comes even though four automakers – BMW, Ford, Honda, and Volkswagen have agreed with California to produce cars across the country that meet California’s standards. And, since 1977, the EPA has allowed other states to adopt the stricter emission standards California uses.
Over a dozen environmental groups said they’ll fight the Trump administration’s action and defend the waivers. “This is very well established legal authority that’s firmly anchored in the Clean Air Act,” a senior lawyer for the Environmental Defense Fund said.
