In a sharp reversal from the Trump era, the Biden administration is indicating it will accept the new emissions rules California’s implemented to control pollution from buses, delivery vans and heavy-duty trucks hauling cargo across the state.
Not only is the administration moving to restore California’s power to set its own standards, new regulations under development by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to The New York Times, are drawn from the mandates modeled after the rules imposed by the State of California.
“We don’t imitate, we’re a model to the world,” California Governor Gavin Newsom told the Times. “In climate, we want to continue to assert that leadership and continue to raise the bar.”
The new rules for heavy trucks, buses and delivery vans besides cracking down on pollution also would underscore the state’s influence on setting the nation’s agenda for fighting climate change and reducing emissions of all kinds.
The Trump administration battled to reduce California’s ability to control the emissions standards for motor vehicles, which the state has enjoyed since the 1950s when a blanket of smog settled over the Los Angeles basin. The state’s ability to set separate standards is written into the landmark Clean Air Act of 1970.
Moves scuttle Trump’s plans
California’s grip on pollution standards had been challenged in court throughout the years. But none of them have been successful. The Trump administration, however, made its substantive effort to end California’s ability to set mandates the centerpiece of its transportation policy.
One of President Joe Biden’s first actions after taking office in January 2021 was to pull the plug on the Trump administration’s lawsuit about California’s right to set its own pollutions standards. Fourteen states, primarily on the East and West coasts also follow California’s standards.
Support from automakers early on
Early in the Trump years, carmakers applauded as President Donald Trump moved to loosen the emission standards set by the Obama administration. However, with the move to battery-electric vehicles gaining momentum, the debate concerning California’s rules has been muted.
The Trump administration’s “One National Program,” in which NHTSA codified regulatory text and made additional pronouncements regarding the preemption of state and local laws related to fuel economy standards, did get tepid support from automakers such as General Motors and Toyota. But others such as Honda, Ford, BMW and Volkswagen sided with California when the lawsuits began
Automakers generally have come to accept they will have to deal with California’s rule-making power. In addition, the Golden State’s rules track closely with the rules on greenhouse gas emissions being implemented in China, the world’s largest market for new vehicles, and the European Union.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden also has announced that the United States is formally committed to cut carbon pollution by between 50% and 52% from 2005 levels by 2030.