SOLIDARITY

Trump Administration Sued by 23 States in Battle Over Auto Emissions

The group is challenging the Trump administration’s move to bar California from setting its own tailpipe emission standards.

A group of 23 states filed a lawsuit on Friday against the Trump administration and its move to bar California from setting stricter rules on vehicle emissions. Led by California, the lawsuit is seeking a court order to prevent the U.S. Transportation Department from revoking a waiver allowing California to set its own limits on tailpipe emissions, a measure that rolls back one of President Barack Obama’s signature measures to contain climate change. The lawsuit alleges the Trump administration has exceeded the authority Congress has granted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is ignoring lawmakers’ efforts to preserve California’s power to improve its air quality by regulating automobile tailpipe emissions.

“Mr. President, we’ll see you in court,” California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a statement. The states in the suit also include Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, North Carolina, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.