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California Sues US EPA Over Rollback of Clean Vehicle Waivers

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California sued the US Environmental Protection Agency on Monday over the agency's attempts to repeal or reclassify a set of waivers that underpin the state's landmark clean vehicle emissions regime.

The complaint, filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, targets the EPA's recent reclassification of four waivers that allow California to set stricter-than-federal limits on vehicle and equipment emissions.

The waivers in question include CARB's 2008 greenhouse gas emissions standards for passenger vehicles, the 2012 Advanced Clean Cars I rule, a 2022 reinstatement of parts of that waiver under the Biden administration, and amendments to the Small Offroad Engine rule.

Together, the four waivers form the legal basis for California's broader clean vehicles program, which has also been adopted or mirrored by several other US states.

"The Trump Administration is doubling down on its unlawful attack on California's longstanding authority to address air pollution and adopt clean vehicle and equipment standards that protect our State and residents," California Attorney General Rob Bonta said.

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