Calif. Vows No Rollback on Emission Goals

The Trump administration may decide to relax current clean-air targets for cars. But the California Air Resource Board says it won’t budge from its goal to slash vehicular greenhouse gas emission 40% by 2030 compared with 1990.

The state agreed five years ago to align its emission and fuel economy targets with federal laws, and it must continue to do so through 2025. At issue is whether the two diverge over the following five-year period, Bloomberg News reports.

Achieving California’s intended 2030 target would require zero-emission vehicles to contribute 40% of new-car sales in the state, according to CARB. Such vehicles current represent 3% of the market.

CARB Chair Mary Nichols says California’s “commitment to clean air and climate protection has been strengthened” by the presidential elections. Board member Dan Sperling adds that California, whose standards have been adopted by several other states, will continue to push for stricter regulation.

California has clout in the regulatory process because it is the largest market for vehicles in the U.S. Its ability to set its own standards also is recognized by the U.S. Clean Air Act. But Bloomberg notes that a Trump-led Congress could amend the law to strip California of that right.