The US Free Enterprise Chamber of Commerce, supported by former Attorney General Bill Barr, has taken legal action against California over regulations aimed at eliminating gas trucks in the state. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.
California’s rule, announced last year, includes a gradual increase in the percentage of electric trucks sold in the state over a 10-year period from 2024 to 2035. The regulation mandates that short-haul trucks must be zero-emission by 2035 and require half of heavy-duty vehicles to be procured by state and local self-governments this year have zero emissions of harmful gases. This rule, created in California, could potentially affect other states by adopting it. Over a dozen states have already adopted California’s standards for low-emission and zero-emission vehicles.
Chamber Executive Director Gentry Collins said the ability to transport people and goods efficiently and affordably is essential to a system of free enterprise and a properly functioning market. He argued that California’s attempt to ban liquid fuels and internal combustion engines poses a significant threat to the American way of life and is bad climate policy.
The lawsuit alleges that California violated the Clean Air Act by implementing rules that are stricter than federal regulations without obtaining an exemption from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Although California received a similar exemption for its vehicle emissions regulations, it was revoked during the Trump administration and later renewed by the Biden administration.
The Hill attempted to contact California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office for a response.
