Trump Rolls Back California’s Authority on Environmental Standards
California’s big cities often earn the title of the worst traffic in the United States. (Wikimedia Commons)
President Donald Trump formally revoked California’s authority to regulate state emission standards on September 19, subverting the state’s jurisdiction derived under a waiver from the Clean Water Act of 1963. Although Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Chief Andrew Wheeler claimed the plan was “good for public safety, good for the economy and good for the environment,” estimates made by the President’s administration predict that freezing environmental standards would increase U.S. fuel consumption by 500,000 barrels a day and release an additional 7.4 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions by 2100.
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao justified the maneuver by asserting that the Trump administration “will not let political agendas in a single state be forced upon the other 49.”
President Trump’s change carries larger implications for the country, as California’s record for being an environmental trailblazer has already led 13 states and Washington, D.C. to deliberately adopt stricter exhaust pipe greenhouse gas standards. Doing so tapps into a third of the country’s car market. With 35 million registered vehicles, California wields an influence over the automobile industry that few states have, indicative of the changes that Ford, BMW, Honda, and Volkswagen made in early July to comply with the Golden State’s environmental standards. Revoking California’s waiver under the Clean Water Act threatens the waivers of other states, particularly those that subscribe to California’s higher environmental regulations.
According to an EPA study done in 2017 of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by economic sector, transportation generated the most emissions nationwide sitting at 29 percent of total US emissions. While advocates of the rule change claim that such rollbacks minimally contribute to climate change, modeling done by the Energy Innovation indicates that pending federal environmental standards could cost consumers up to $160 billion through 2050 and increase transportation emissions by up to 4 percent in 2035, raising total emission increases up to 10 percent.
As the revocation of waiver authority approaches within 60 days, public servants from California took a stand to lambast the alteration and pledge continued support for sustainable environmental policy. Governor Gavin Newsom declared that he “will fight this latest attempt and defend our clean car standards,” while Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who has sued the Trump administration over 50 times, said “we’ll see you in court if you stand in our way.” As federal lawmakers feel anxiety from an uneven application of environmental policy, automakers fear from a misshapen regulatory landscape. Led by California, 24 states filed a lawsuit on September 20 against the Trump administration’s decision, signaling the beginnings of an arduous legal battle over climate change and states’ rights.