California Air Resources Board Squares Up For Fight Against Feds

Desmond Milligan · August 20

Likely realizing it’s inevitable, the California Air Resources Board is squaring itself up for a fight against the federal government. The state regulator is pushing new car emissions rules and tax credits for EVs, clearly daring the Trump administration to do something about it.

Thieves steal catalytic converters from school buses.

This comes after CARB has been sued by several truck makers for putting them in an “impossible” spot when it comes to reducing heavy truck emissions. In other words, the regulatory agency is going to be fighting a multi-front war.

CARB already has been severely kneecapped by the United State Congress, which invalidated its EPA waiver. For decades, CARB enjoyed near autonomy enforcing stricter emissions controls on cars and trucks.

But it seems the organization doesn’t want to relent and instead is doubling down.

The most aggressive move it’s making is drafting stricter emissions regulations for cars. However, creating the new standards could take up to three years, reports Bloomberg.

If the state is trying to do what the federal government was undertaking before Trump was voted in, then it will likely be trying to squeeze residents into buying EVs by ratcheting up emissions standards to ridiculous levels.

In other words, it’s trying to get around Congress stopping California from banning the sale of internal combustion engines by a certain date.

Along with other state agencies, CARB is recommending the state of California funds the $7,500 tax credit for buying EVs, which the federal government is eliminating at the end of September. How the state will foot the bill isn’t entirely clear, but it seems the tax credit is a big priority.

All this will probably come down to a legal battle. California is still trying to flex its muscles and move the auto industry singlehandedly through its large population and dominant car market. But this might be a fight it doesn’t have a chance of winning.

Image via Quentin Martinez/Pexels

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