Trump Touts Decision To End California’s Ability To Set Its Own Emission Rules

President Donald Trump announced on Twitter his move to end California’s authority to craft emission regulations that are stricter than federal rules, a move that comes as the president continues roll back Obama-era regulations.

“The Trump Administration is revoking California’s Federal Waiver on emissions in order to produce far less expensive cars for the consumer, while at the same time making the cars substantially SAFER. This will lead to more production because of this pricing and safety……” the president said in a tweet Wednesday. He went on to say that removing the waiver will make vehicles after and less expensive.

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The New York Times reported Tuesday that Trump would announce the move Wednesday at the Washington headquarters of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Neither the White House nor the EPA have responded to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a Democrat who’s been a thorn in Trump’s hide for the first two years of the president’s administration, says the state will continue to fight such moves.

“California will continue its advance toward a cleaner future. We’re prepared to defend the standards that make that promise a reality,” Becerra told reporters Tuesday after The New York Times reported on Trump’s intention.

Becerra has sued the administration more than 50 times since 2016, much of the litigation is designed to hit Trump’s environmental rollbacks.

Trump’s move comes after months of speculation.

The administration unveiled draft plan in 2018 to roll back the strict federal fuel economy standards put in place by the Obama administration. The draft included a plan to revoke a waiver given to California under the 1970 Clean Air Act, which allows it to set tougher state-level standards.

Former President Barack Obama raised the average fuel economy of automobiles to more than 50 miles per gallon within 10 years. California got permissions from the Obama administration to issue its own, higher emissions standards. They require cars maintain 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.

The Trump administration, for its part, first proposed in 2018 freezing fuel economy standards at 37 miles per gallon in 2020. The EPA and Department of Transportation estimated that the freeze would save $500 billion in societal costs and prevent around 1,000 traffic fatalities a year.