Ford Backed Group Expects Trump To Overturn California EPA Waiver

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court declined to take up an appeal over the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to allow California to set its own emissions standards, meaning that for now at least, the state is free to move forward with its plan to ban the sale of new, pure ICE models by 2035. There are some exceptions for certain types of hybrids, however, as automakers would be required to achieve an 80 percent EV and 20 percent plug-in hybrid sales mix by that year. However, most don’t expect California to retain this waiver for long, and that includes one major Ford-backed industry lobby group.

“This was an expected development. And we expect President Trump will revoke the waiver in 2025,” said John Bozzella, president and CEO, Alliance for Automotive Innovation. “We’ve said the country should have a single, national standard to reduce carbon in transportation, but the question about the general authority of California to establish a vehicle emissions program – and for other states to follow that program – is ultimately something for policymakers and the courts to sort out.”

“Our concerns – first, California’s Advanced Clean Cars II is an actual electrification sales mandate and ultimately a ban on the sale of new gas-powered vehicles. Second, most of the states that follow California are NOT ready for these requirements. Achieving the sales mandates under current market realities will take a miracle. There needs to be balance and some states should exit the program. Third, automakers can produce electrified vehicles, but there’s a huge gap between these EV sales mandates and a customer’s (reasonable) expectation they can still choose what kind of vehicle to drive.”

This isn’t the first time AAI has spoken out about California and its right to ban the sale of new ICE models, as the lobby group has long called such measures “untenable” given current sales trends. Regardless, this topic is one of several that figures to be on Trump’s priority list when he takes office next month, including the possibility that he may choose to eliminate the current federal clean energy tax credit (something AAI opposes), cancel a USPS contract with Oshkosh Defense and Ford, and nix current President Joe Biden’s EV programs.