WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is slamming the brakes on what officials have called a costly trucking emissions standard that California was seeking to apply to tens of thousands of vehicles traveling into the state — effectively nationalizing the green energy policies of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration.
The US Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday its final disapproval of the Golden State’s Heavy-Duty Inspection and Maintenance Regulation being applied to more than 50,000 trucks coming from outside the state or outside the US, according to state data.
“If California had its way, prices would skyrocket for truckers and businesses across America,” said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. “Affordable trucks are vital for keeping food and goods moving and prices low for families.”
The disapproval notice will still allow the Newsom administration to enforce the regulation for heavy-duty trucks registered in California. The trucks are defined under the regulation as non-gasoline combustion vehicles weighing more than 14,000 pounds.
In 2019, the Democratic governor signed a law that eventually directed the California Air Resources Board to pilot a program slashing the heavy-duty truck emissions.
That resulted in the regulations as well as the board voting for the state to become “the first place in the world to mandate zero-emission trucks by 2045,” Newsom celebrated in an X post in 2020.
Newsom has also blamed the trucks for spewing out “nearly a third of harmful air pollutants” and called for “bold action” against the vehicles.
“CA will once again lead the way –phasing out the use of diesel-powered trucks,” he posted on X in March 2023, highlighting the potential effects of the emissions on California and the climate. “Trucks shouldn’t give our kids asthma. Make wildfires worse. Or melt glaciers.”
But EPA officials said the proposed regulation would have been unlawful, since it sought to interfere with interstate and international trade — in violation of the US Constitution’s Commerce Clause.
As a result, the agency noted the emissions regulations were improperly making use of provisions in the Clean Air Act of 1970, which orders states to assure the EPA that its rules don’t flout federal laws.
The regulations were part of California’s State Implementation Plan that the EPA reviewed to ensure it was abiding by federal air quality standards.
“The Trump EPA will never back down from holding California accountable and stopping them from imposing unnecessary regulations on the entire nation,” added Zeldin. “Americans didn’t vote for California’s policies to be imposed nationwide. They voted for President Trump’s policies that put working families first.”
Zeldin’s announcement, which followed a 30-day public comment period, comes after recent fights involving California and interstate commerce.
In 2023, pork producers sought to challenge a Golden State animal cruelty law that would have mandated more breeding space for pigs — but were rejected by the US Supreme Court.
Five of the justices led by Neil Gorsuch ruled that the law, which passed via a ballot measure in 2018, has not interfered with pork merchants outside California.
The Biden administration had still opposed Proposition 12, as it was called, on constitutional grounds, arguing it had “thrown a giant wrench” into US pork production and would prompt a “wholesale change in how pork is raised and marketed in this country.”
Producers claimed it could cost the pork industry between $290 million and $350 million.
The total estimated cost of the full California trucking regulations is unclear.
Reps for Newsom didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
