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As the Biden administration is readying a reversal of the Trump policies that loosened rules on auto emissions, many states have started amending their laws to align with the California clean car standards. Case in point: the Virginia legislature last week passed a law that toughened its emissions standards, while Minnesota and Nevada have drafted policies that have yet to be ratified. These states could follow in the footsteps of thirteen other states, plus Washington D.C. to adopt the rules put in place in California, which under the Clean Air Act had the right to implement stricter tailpipe emissions standards.
Trump’s rule — that only the federal government can set emissions standards — has been challenged in court, but the case is now on hold at the Biden administration’s request. The Biden administration stated that it may reverse the Trump rule by regulation, and told the court that it wished a pause in the litigation citing “the prerogative of the executive branch to reconsider the policy decisions of a prior Administration,” indicating that it may reverse the Trump position in the case. That would be an unusual move, but it is understandable given the Biden Administration’s views on the importance of reducing tailpipe emissions.
In the meantime, Virginia sent a bill to Governor Ralph Northam, that would implement tougher emissions standards starting with 2024 vehicles, and he is expected to sign the measure into law.
This could have a major effect on the auto industry, which is already beginning to transition to electric vehicles. Katherine Garcia, deputy director of national policies for the Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All campaign, told the Hill: “It’s really sending a signal to the automakers that Americans want clean cars.”
Delegates attending the COP26 conference in Glasgow will get to see a very cool display during their stay. So cool, in fact, that it’s been frozen since 1765. Artist Wayne Binitie and scientists of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have retrieved an Antarctic time capsule containing the world’s purest air. The pocket of atmosphere was […]
By Natasha Lasky, ODP Staff Writer The European Environment Agency (EEA) found that a majority of EU countries broke at least one air pollution limit last year — despite COVID-19 lockdowns. In addition, 17 EU countries failed to stay below ozone pollution targets, which directly influence global warming; and eight EU countries failed to stay […]
By Ashira Morris, ODP Staff Writer An Indonesian district court ruled yesterday that Indonesian President Joko Widodo has neglected Jakarta’s residents right to clean air. In a unanimous ruling in favor of the 32 residents who brought the case, the Central Jakarta District Court ordered Widodo, and six other top officials deemed negligent, to improve […]
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