The Justice Department filed a lawsuit Thursday against the state of California, targeting its aggressive emissions rules that aim to phase out internal-combustion trucks in favor of electric vehicles by 2036. The case marks a direct challenge from the Trump administration to one of the cornerstone environmental policies pushed under the Biden era.
The suit focuses on the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and its “Clean Truck Partnership,” which compels manufacturers to accelerate the production of so-called “zero-emission” engines. Federal prosecutors contend that California is acting outside its legal authority by attempting to impose environmental standards more restrictive than those set by Washington.
“Agreement, contract, partnership, mandate — whatever California wants to call it, this unlawful action attempts to undermine federal law,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the DOJ’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “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.”
The DOJ is also throwing its weight behind lawsuits already filed by truck manufacturers including Daimler and Volvo, which argue that California’s rules are unworkable, overly costly, and threaten supply chains. According to the federal complaint, CARB is “attempting to impose a nationwide ban on internal-combustion engines in heavy-duty trucks by 2036” despite lacking the authority to do so.
The backdrop of the dispute stretches back to waivers issued during the Biden administration, which gave California a green light to impose tougher restrictions. In June, President Trump signed a congressional resolution revoking those waivers, ensuring California could no longer use them as legal cover.
“Without these waivers, the Clean Air Act prohibits [the California Air Resources Board] from attempting to enforce those regulations,” the DOJ argued in its filing. “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.”
Trump officials argue that California’s regulations would cripple the trucking industry by forcing a premature and costly transition to electric fleets that many companies cannot afford. The administration’s lawsuit underscores its broader push to dismantle what it calls Biden-era overreach in energy and environmental policy.
“The decision whether to ban internal-combustion engines in heavy-duty trucks rests ultimately with the federal government,” the DOJ said. “And it has declined to take such a far-reaching step.”
The lawsuit is expected to intensify the clash between California’s Democratic leadership and the Trump administration, setting up a court battle that could decide whether individual states have the power to unilaterally reshape national energy and transportation policy.
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