DOJ sues California for imposing pro-electric truck regulations

The Department of Justice (DOJ) demanded Thursday that California over tough emissions regulations that state imposed against heavy-duty trucks. In an communication, the agency detailed that the acting assistant attorney general for DOJ's Environment and Natural Resources Division, Adam Gustafson, questioned the California Air Resources Board (CARB) over its "Clean Trucks Partnership," whichmandates all truck manufacturers in the country to phase out internal combustion engines in favor of engines that emit "zero emissions" of gas by 2036.

"Agreement, contract, partnership, mandate — whatever California wants to call it, this unlawful action attempts to undermine federal law. President Donald Trump and Congress have invalidated the Clean Air Act waivers that were the basis for California’s actions. CARB must respect the democratic process and stop enforcing unlawful standards," commented Gustafson, who added that the DOJ filed a challenge against the light-vehicle guidelines and another against the heavy-truck restrictions. The agency joined a lawsuit filed by some truck manufacturers, such as Volvo or Daimler, which challenged California over its strict emissions standards.

"CARB continues to threaten truck manufacturers."

According to the DOJ release, the agency argued in its lawsuit that California was attempting to, in practice, "impose a nationwide ban on internal-combustion engines in heavy-duty trucks by 2036" through numerous regulations promulgated under the "Clean Trucks Partnership." Similarly, the agency commented that "The decision whether to ban internal-combustion engines in heavy-duty trucks rests ultimately with the federal government. And it has declined to take such a far-reaching step," adding that "CARB continues to threaten truck manufacturers who refuse to comply with its preempted regulations with severe civil sanctions and hostile regulatory treatment."

Likewise, the DOJ argued that the state of California was attempting to illegally supplant federal environmental regulations. "Without these waivers, the Clean Air Act prohibits [the California Air Resources Board] from attempting to enforce those regulations. Yet, in an affront to the rule of law, [the California Air Resources Board] seeks to circumvent that prohibition by enforcing the preempted emissions standards through the Clean Truck Partnership," the agency detailed.