The stage is set for a legal battle between the state of California and the current administration following President Donald Trump's signing of a resolution to block the state's plans for a gas-powered car ban.
What's happening?
According to a mid-June report from the Associated Press, the United States president has signed a resolution to block a California rule intended to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars in the state by the year 2035. The resolution was approved by the Republican-majority Congress earlier this spring and later signed by Trump.
The resolution was one of three that the president signed to limit California's ability to implement its own environmentally friendly regulations. Other such now-overturned plans included phasing out the sale of medium- and heavy-duty diesel vehicles and restricting some tailpipe emissions, according to the AP.
Why is this notable?
California is the most populous state in the country, and many there have long been trying to address widespread air pollution. The state had been permitted exemptions — called "waivers" — from Environmental Protection Agency standards in order to implement its own stricter environmental guidelines for almost 50 years before those permissions were removed by Trump during his first term. In 2022, they were reinstated by then-President Joe Biden, per the AP.
The state has been at the forefront of many environmental protections and restrictions on internal combustion engines, promoting more efficient and cleaner vehicles. And because the state is so populous, given the sheer number of potential car buyers there, these regulations have often caused companies to make all of their vehicles more efficient, including those sold outside the state.
What happens next could impact California's ability and possibly that of other states to set their own environmental regulations at a time when the federal government is rolling back national environmental policies.
What's being done about the resolution?
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the state will challenge the resolution in federal court.
"The federal government's actions are not only unlawful; they're irrational and wildly partisan," Bonta said at a press conference. "They come at the direct expense of the health and the well-being of our people."
With California set to make an appeal in federal court, a judge will determine whether the current administration's actions are Constitutional. From there, the appeal could make its way through the court system until it reaches the Supreme Court.
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