What you should know: California’s clean air progress is being undermined by unprecedented federal interference, including the illegal disapproval of major emissions standards. This obstruction threatens the state’s ability to meet federal air quality standards, putting public health at risk for millions of Californians — especially those in the most polluted communities.

SACRAMENTO – After decades of improving air quality, California now faces unprecedented federal interference in its clean air efforts, which are critically vital for the health of all Californians.

The federal Clean Air Act requires areas in California that exceed health-based national air quality standards to develop a plan to attain the required federal standard. Through recent illegal and unconstitutional actions, the United States Congress adopted resolutions disapproving three actions by U.S. EPA to waive federal preemption for six rules central to the state’s plan to meet federal standards. Failing to meet the federal requirements can result in sanctions, including more onerous permitting requirements for stationary sources or the potential loss of federal highway funding.

Today, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) received an update on the most recent state strategy for the State Implementation Plan (SIP), approved in 2022, and the considerable implementation obstacles being faced in light of the federal government’s obstruction of some of California’s most effective air quality regulations, including Advanced Clean Cars II, Advanced Clean Trucks and Heavy-Duty Engine and Vehicle Omnibus. These regulations are critical for California to meet federal air quality standards.

“California has led the world in cleaning up the air we breathe — but the fight isn’t over. Now, the federal government is stripping away the tools we need to meet the air quality standards they set, then threatening to punish us for falling short. It’s a deliberate catch-22 that hurts the communities already suffering most. We won’t back down — we’ll keep fighting for clean air and healthy communities across California,” said CARB Chair Lauren Sanchez.

Why it matters

While California has made great progress in cleaning the air, nearly 18 million Californians breathe unhealthy air that exceeds safe standards and 1,500 die from air pollution every year in Southern California alone.

California's most recent state strategy for meeting air quality standards included an unprecedented variety of new measures to reduce emissions from sources under the state’s authority using all mechanisms available including regulations and incentive and voluntary programs. It was projected to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 200 tons per day and reactive organic gases by 40 tons per day statewide in 2037. A large portion of the reductions were to occur in and around communities near major roadways and ports, airports and warehouses, providing substantial health benefits.

However, federal deregulation efforts and attacks on California’s environmental authority risk loss of emissions reductions and harm to public health. By obstructing California’s regulations that achieve critical reductions in air pollution, the current federal administration will bear responsibility for the resulting harm to California’s public health and the environment and interfering in the state’s efforts to expand the availability of clean transportation.