Key facts
- A U.S. judge has blocked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from sending California's vehicle emissions rules to Congress.
- The EPA had sent four waivers to Congress for review, granting California authority to enact its own emission standards.
- The Trump administration had pursued efforts to deny California the ability to mandate cleaner vehicles.
- The judge's decision stems from a lawsuit brought by California challenging the EPA's reclassification of waivers.
- The California waiver, enacted in the 1970s, allows the state to set stricter emissions standards than federal regulations.
A U.S. judge in Washington has blocked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from sending landmark California vehicle emissions rules to the Republican-controlled Congress for potential repeal. The four waivers, which grant California authority to enact its own emission standards for cars, trucks, and lawn and garden equipment, were sent by the EPA for review.
The Trump administration had been actively working to deny California the ability to mandate cleaner vehicles and electric vehicles. This judicial decision comes after California sued the EPA, seeking a preliminary injunction to withdraw the reclassification of waivers from 2009, 2013, 2022, and 2024, which placed them up for congressional review.
Senior U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell expressed concerns about the Justice Department's argument that agencies could use the Congressional Review Act to effectively undo longstanding regulations by reclassifying them as final rules. The California waiver, established in the 1970s to address smog in Los Angeles, has evolved to make the state a testing ground for new automotive technology. The judge noted the significant difference in procedural review length between the Congressional Review Act and the standard legislative process.
California argued that if the EPA's reclassifications are upheld, the agency would effectively eliminate the state's right to contest future revocations of these waivers.