SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California withdrew requests Tuesday for the federal government to allow the state to enforce rules limiting emissions from diesel-powered trains and big rigs in anticipation of the Trump administration rejecting them.
The move comes days before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration. One of the rules, which the California Air Resources Board approved in 2023, would have banned new diesel-powered semi-trucks that transport goods through ports from being sold in the state starting in 2036. Another rule, which the agency approved the same month, would have banned locomotive engines more than 23 years old by 2030 and increased the use of zero-emissions technology to transport freight from ports and throughout railyards.
Air Resources Board Chair Liane Randolph said the agency is assessing its options to continue its efforts to curb planet-warming emissions and improve air quality but did not offer specifics on what comes next for the rules.
“While we are disappointed that U.S. EPA was unable to act on all the requests in time, the withdrawal is an important step given the uncertainty presented by the incoming administration that previously attacked California’s programs to protect public health and the climate and has said will continue to oppose those programs,” Randolph said in a statement.
During Trump's first term, his administration challenged the state's authority to set its own emissions standards that are stricter than federal rules. But a federal court last year upheld California's ability to set nation-leading vehicle emissions regulations.
The EPA granted California the authority last month to enforce a rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars in the state by 2035.
The EPA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on California withdrawing its waiver requests.
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Austin is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin on Twitter: @ sophieadanna
Sophie Austin, The Associated Press