April 24, 2021 - Washington - Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) released the following statement on the Biden administration’s decision to drop the Trump administration’s challenge of California’s authority to set its own vehicle emissions standards:

“The Trump administration should never have challenged California’s legal authority to set our own vehicle emission standards. The Clean Air Act clearly gives us the right to protect the air Californians breathe and I want to thank the Biden administration for dropping this frivolous challenge.

“The state worked with the Obama administration to set the strongest emissions standards possible. Unfortunately, the Trump administration weakened those standards and then went a step further to try to strip California of its authority to set its own standards.

“Thankfully, California fought that effort and continues to lead the way in reducing our vehicle emissions. The governor recently announced that every new car or passenger truck sold in the state must be zero-emission by 2035 and all new medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles by 2045 where feasible. This is the type of action that is necessary if we are going to confront climate change.

“Now that this is over, I look forward to the Biden administration working in concert with California to set new standards that combat climate change, protect public health and save consumers money.”
Source: Senator Dianne Feinstein