Trump Administration Seeks Supreme Court Delay in Vehicle Emissions Rule Cases

The Trump administration has formally requested the U.S. Supreme Court to halt proceedings in a case involving a challenge to California’s vehicle emissions and electric car standards under federal air pollution regulations.

This recent development comes as the administration seeks to reevaluate several existing legal issues, suggesting a potential shift in policy direction from the previous administration. These moves are likely to align more closely with the Supreme Court’s current conservative stance, now comprised of a 6-3 majority, bolstered by three justices appointed during Trump’s prior term.

The crux of the legal battle revolves around an exemption awarded to California in 2022, under President Biden’s administration, by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This exemption permitted California to enforce vehicle emission rules stricter than national standards, a provision under the Clean Air Act that allows such deviations.

While state and local governments generally do not have the authority to set their own emission standards, Congress has empowered the EPA to grant waivers, enabling California to pass stringent regulations beyond federal mandates. The waiver in question, reinstated in 2022, allowed California to set its emission limits and zero-emission vehicle mandate through 2025, reversing a 2019 decision during Trump’s first term that had eliminated this waiver.

Fuel producers, including Valero’s Diamond Alternative Energy, contested the reinstatement, indicating that it overstretched the EPA’s authority under the Clean Air Act and adversely affected their financial interests by reducing the demand for liquid fuels. Their lawsuits, however, were dismissed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which determined that the challengers did not have the legal standing required to pursue their claims.

In appealing to the Supreme Court, Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris noted that the EPA’s reassessment of its previous decision might eliminate the necessity for the Court to rule on the challengers’ standing. The Supreme Court has historically displayed skepticism towards expansive federal agency authority, evidenced by recent rulings that curtailed the EPA’s regulatory powers.

For instance, the Court previously halted the EPA’s “Good Neighbor” rule intended to curb cross-border ozone pollution and restricted the agency’s authority to manage water pollution and to reduce carbon emissions from power plants. In another significant step on his first day back in office, Trump sought to retract a December waiver granted by the EPA that permits California to prohibit the sale of gasoline-only vehicles by 2035, a policy already embraced by 11 other states.

Furthermore, Trump’s order instructed the EPA to revoke particular state emissions waivers, especially those limiting the sale of gasoline-powered automobiles, where deemed appropriate.

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