EPA will grant California the right to ban sales of new gas cars by 2035

Source: Washington Post

The Environmental Protection Agency plans to grant California permission to set stronger climate rules for cars and SUVs — a move that President-elect Donald Trump could attempt to reverse — according to two people briefed on the matter.

The EPA intends to issue California a waiver as soon as next week to enforce its rule aimed at banning sales of new gasoline-powered cars in the state by 2035, said the two people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. The Trump administration will probably try to revoke the waiver, although those efforts could run into legal obstacles.

The EPA plan underscores how President Joe Biden is racing to Trump-proof his climate legacy before leaving office next month. Just this week, his administration moved to block new mining in a sensitive watershed and to ban two cancer-causing chemicals used in a variety of consumer products and industrial settings.

Under the Clean Air Act, California can receive a waiver from the EPA to set tougher vehicle emissions rules than those of the federal government. More than a dozen other states follow California’s stricter rules, collectively accounting for about 40 percent of the U.S. auto market.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/12/13/epa-california-climate-cars-evs/