DOJ Sues California Over ‘Unlawful’ EV Policy
The Trump administration has opened a new legal front in its ongoing clash with California over vehicle emissions and electric vehicle policy. On Thursday, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the state, arguing that California’s vehicle regulations effectively impose an illegal fuel economy standard that conflicts with federal law.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), challenges California’s Advanced Clean Cars regulatory framework. Federal officials argue the state is using aggressive emissions rules to indirectly force automakers to adopt fuel economy standards that only the federal government is authorized to set.
At the center of the dispute is the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, a federal statute that bars individual states from establishing their own fuel economy requirements for automobiles. According to the Justice Department, California’s regulations violate that law by compelling car manufacturers to meet state-specific mileage targets through strict emissions limits.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi framed the lawsuit as part of a broader effort to roll back regulatory policies she said raise costs for consumers.
“California is using unlawful policies from the last administration to create exorbitant costs for their citizens,” Bondi said in a statement. “This Department of Justice is proud to stand with President Trump and Secretary Sean Duffy to bring litigation that will make life more affordable for American consumers.”
California’s emissions program has long been a unique feature of American environmental policy. Because the state struggled with severe smog problems in the 20th century, federal law has historically granted California special waivers allowing it to set stricter vehicle emissions standards than the federal government. Other states have often adopted California’s standards as well.
In 2022, under Gov. Gavin Newsom, the California Air Resources Board adopted the Advanced Clean Cars II rule. That regulation requires an increasing percentage of new passenger vehicles and light trucks sold in the state to be zero-emission, eventually reaching 100 percent by 2035. The Environmental Protection Agency under President Joe Biden granted California a waiver allowing the rule to proceed.
Newsom’s policies extended beyond passenger vehicles. California also introduced the Advanced Clean Trucks rule and the Heavy-Duty Omnibus NOx regulation, targeting emissions from commercial vehicles. Together, these measures positioned California as the national leader in aggressive vehicle electrification policy.
More than a dozen other states began moving toward similar standards, creating what critics describe as a patchwork of regulations influencing national auto manufacturing decisions.
Earlier this year, President Trump used the Congressional Review Act to revoke California’s newer emissions mandates. That move itself is currently being challenged in court. The lawsuit filed Thursday focuses instead on the earlier Advanced Clean Cars framework, which still remains in place.
Federal officials argue that the strict emissions limits effectively force automakers to build vehicles with higher fuel economy to comply, which they say amounts to an indirect state fuel economy mandate.
NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison said the lawsuit is intended to restore a single national regulatory framework for vehicle efficiency.
“This litigation will help automakers design and produce cars and trucks to meet one federal fuel economy regulation,” Morrison said. “It was a mistake by Presidents Obama and Biden to enable California to set its own backdoor fuel economy policies.”
California has shown little interest in backing down. In response to the federal rollback of some emissions rules, Newsom signed an executive order directing regulators to develop a new Advanced Clean Cars III proposal. The order also calls for incentives and preferential treatment for automakers that continue complying with California’s aggressive emissions targets.
The conflict now spans multiple legal battles. California is challenging the federal rollback of its emissions waivers in the Ninth Circuit, while the Justice Department is simultaneously attempting to block enforcement of the state’s underlying rules.