California air quality officials on Tuesday filed a motion to dismiss a Trump administration lawsuit that seeks to block the state from enforcing 14-year-old vehicle emissions standards.
What happened: The California Air Resources Board said in the filing that the U.S. Department of Transportation does not have standing to sue over the agency’s 2012 vehicle rules, arguing that the federal government failed to show how the regulations have the potential to negatively harm automakers or car buyers.
“Plaintiffs ask this Court to invalidate these standards without pleading any facts establishing how these standards — including ZEV standards that sunset with model year 2025 — currently impact their operations or activities,” the motion reads.
Why it matters: The Trump administration’s attempt to dismantle California’s regulatory authority comes after Congress revoked an EPA waiver last year that allowed the state to enforce the nation’s strictest emissions rules — passed in 2022 — including a ban on new gas car sales starting in 2035.
