By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday restored the state of California’s ability to set its own zero emission vehicle sales mandate and tailpipe emissions limits, reversing a 2019 decision by then President Donald Trump.
The agency said it was finalizing a decision to reinstate a waiver under the Clear Air Act to California that was first awarded in 2013.
“With today’s action, we reinstate an approach that for years has helped advance clean technologies and cut air pollution for people not just in California, but for the U.S. as a whole,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said.
EPA is also rejecting a Trump-era decision to prohibit other states from adopting the California tailpipe emission standards.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said the move remedies the Trump administration’s “groundless ‹attack on a critical program that is based on California’s decades ‹of experience setting emissions standards as authorized by law.”
The California Air Resources Board said on Tuesday it plans to significantly increase electric vehicle requirements by 2030 as the state moves to phase out the sale of gasoline-powered light duty vehicles by 2035.
President Joe Biden has set a goal of 50% of new vehicle sales being electric or plug-in electric, but has not endorsed a date to phase out gasoline-vehicle sales.
In a draft document in December, the California regulator said it aimed to reach 61% of new sales as zero emission models by 2030. A revised proposal, which is still under staff review, would aim for 68% new zero emission vehicles in 2030, 76% in 2031, and 100% in 2035, a board spokesman told Reuters.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by David Gregorio)
