U.S. EPA Cancels California’s Authority to Impose Stricter Auto Emission Rules

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Sept. 19 announced a final rule establishing nationwide uniform fuel economy and emission standards for automobiles and light duty trucks. As part of the rule, the agency said it is withdrawing a 2013 waiver that allowed California to pursue its own tailpipe pollution standard and zero-emission vehicle mandate. The rule also impacts more than a dozen states that have adopted California’s program. The move is part of the Trump administration’s larger effort to roll back Obama-era vehicle emissions standards.

Last August, the EPA and the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration unveiled the proposal for a new 50-state standard for fuel economy and tailpipe carbon dioxide emissions standard for cars and light trucks for model years 2021 to 2026. The proposal also seeks to retain the standards for these vehicles at 37 miles per gallon from 2021 through 2026, rolling back a 2012 rule that called for reaching 46.7 miles per gallon target in 2025.

California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Xavier Becerra, and Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols vowed to challenge any action to revoke the waiver. In 2012, California adopted its comprehensive Advanced Clean Car Program for model years 2017 through 2025. The EPA subsequently granted a waiver for the program, which combines the control of smog-causing pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions into a coordinated package of standards.

Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington have adopted at least a portion of the Advanced Clean Car Program.