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The United States Department of Justice is suing the California Air Resources Board to stop it from enforcing its electrification regulations on the grounds that they violate federal law.
“Oppressive, expensive electric vehicle mandates drive up costs for American consumers and violate federal law,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in the department’s announcement. “California is using unlawful policies from the last administration to create exorbitant costs for our citizens — this Department of Justice is proud to stand with President Trump and Secretary Duffy to bring litigation that will make life more affordable for American consumers.”
The administration contends that California‘s state-level EV requirements run afoul of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975—the law that created the foundation for today’s federal environmental regulations. The administration has been systematically dismantling the EPA’s enforcement capabilities and sees California’s autonomy as an obstacle to eliminating carbon-reduction policies and electric/hybrid vehicle quotas.
“This lawsuit continues ENRD’s war on regulatory overreach by California that is set on undermining the national market for motor vehicles through unlawful state policies,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “The state vehicle standards we are challenging today are preempted by federal law, just like the standards that were blocked by a court in our challenge to California’s so-called Clean Truck Partnership.”
Since taking power in 2024, the administration has taken several steps to roll back decades of existing automotive emissions policy. In December, it kneecapped CAFE’s enforcement mechanism by removing penalties for emissions violations. In February, announced that it would no longer stand by the government’s own 2012 finding that carbon dioxide emissions represent a threat to public health. Earlier that same day, the administration stripped incentives that promote the incorporation of auto stop/start—a feature designed to turn the gasoline engine off while a car is idle to save fuel.
The previous Trump administration endured (and ultimately lost) a prolonged legal battle over California’s climate autonomy; it appears we’re in for yet another slog in Trump II.
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Byron is an editor at The Drive with a keen eye for infrastructure, sales and regulatory stories.
