The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is pushing back against California’s requirements for out-of-state heavy-duty vehicles.
On Monday, Aug. 25, the EPA announced that it was proposing to disapprove of California’s Heavy-Duty Inspection and Maintenance Requirements as they apply to out-of-state and out-of-country vehicles.
The agency expressed concern these requirements violate the U.S. Constitution’s Commerce Clause, as well as Section 110 of the Clean Air Act.
“California was not, and has never been, duly elected by the American people to run our great country,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a news release. “The state’s power grab knows no bounds. EPA will not allow California to violate federal law, and we will not sit idly by while, in the name of climate change, they raise the cost of living on all Americans who rely on truck drivers and the products they deliver across the country.”
The EPA added that it “will not allow California to violate federal law in a manner that foists yet another attack on truck drivers and engine manufacturers who provide the food and products we need to survive.”
The EPA’s proposed rule is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, Aug. 26. Once that happens, the public will have 30 days to comment. To do so, go to Regulations.gov and enter EPA-R09-OAR-2025-0061.
The Federal Trade Commission recently closed its antitrust investigation into the Clean Truck Partnership. The agreement involved top truck manufacturers and their trade group, the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association. They signed the deal with the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
Signed in 2023, the Clean Truck Partnership requires manufacturers to follow California’s truck emission standards. These include the Omnibus Low NOx rule, Advanced Clean Fleets and Advanced Clean Trucks. A key part of the agreement binds truck makers to these rules, even if California loses the authority to enforce them.
On his first day back in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at “unleashing American energy.” This order includes a directive to remove government-imposed market distortions favoring electric vehicles over other technologies.
In June, Trump signed three resolutions that killed California’s vehicle emission rules.
According to the EPA, the waivers “would have raised costs, restricted consumer choice and strained the electric grid. LL
Land Line Associate Editor Tyson Fisher contributed to this report.
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