A business lobbying group that opposes regulations and has the support of former Attorney General Bill Barr has filed a lawsuit against California over regulations designed to gradually eliminate gas-powered trucks in the state.
The American Free Enterprise Chamber of Commerce lodged its lawsuit on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.
Gentry Collins, the CEO, stated, “The ability to transport people and goods reliably and affordably is fundamental to the free enterprise system and a functioning market that benefits American consumers. The current effort by the State of California to prohibit liquid fuels and internal combustion engines poses a significant threat to the American way of life and is also poor environmental policy,”
The lawsuit, which includes the Associated Equipment Distributors, claims that the state violated the Clean Air Act by creating a regulation that is tougher than the federal one without obtaining a waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). California previously obtained a similar waiver for its regulations on car emissions, but it was revoked under the Trump administration before being reinstated by the Biden administration.
Last year, California announced a regulation that would progressively increase the percentage of electric trucks required to be sold in the state over a ten-year period from 2024 to 2035. It mandates that short-haul trucks must be emissions-free by 2035 and that half of heavy-duty vehicle purchases by state and local governments must be emissions-free in the current year.
While originated in California, this regulation has broader implications as other states can choose to adopt it. Over a dozen other states have previously adopted California standards for both low-emission and zero-emission vehicles.
California has also established a schedule for phasing out medium- and heavy-duty internal-combustion trucks by 2036. The regulation, which has received approval from the Biden administration, also requires fleet owners to ensure their trucks are emissions-free by 2042.
The Hill has contacted the office of California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) for a statement.
