Supreme Court revives industry effort to axe California clean car standards 
Share this @internewscast.com


The Supreme Court revived an industry effort to axe California’s stricter vehicle emissions standards on Friday. 

In a 7-2 decision authored by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the Supreme Court ruled fuel producers have legal standing to sue over California’s clean car standards approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), allowing the challenge to continue. 

“This case concerns only standing, not the merits,” Kavanaugh wrote.  “EPA and California may or may not prevail on the merits in defending EPA’s approval of the California regulations. But the justiciability of the fuel producers’ challenge to EPA’s approval of the California regulations is evident.”

Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, two of the court’s three Democratic-appointed justices, dissented. 

The Clean Air Act generally preempts state laws that regulate motor vehicle emissions, but it allows the EPA to issue a waiver for California and only California. 

The EPA granted such a waiver in 2013, only for the Trump administration to partially withdraw it after taking office. Once former President Biden arrived at the White House, his EPA reinstated the waiver, putting the stricter emissions standards back in play. 

A group of producers of gasoline and other liquid fuels sued, arguing California’s regulations reduce the manufacturing of gas-powered cars, which would cause a hit to the fuel producers’ sales. 

But the EPA and California argue the producers have no legal standing, which requires a showing that a favorable court ruling would redress a plaintiff’s injury. The EPA contended that consumer demand for electric cars would exceed California’s mandate, anyway, so the regulations no longer have impact. 

The Supreme Court’s decision rejects that notion, reversing a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit that tossed the lawsuit. 

“If invalidating the regulations would change nothing in the market, why are EPA and California enforcing and defending the regulations?” Kavanaugh wrote for the majority. 

“The whole point of the regulations is to increase the number of electric vehicles in the new automobile market beyond what consumers would otherwise demand and what automakers would otherwise manufacture and sell,” he added. 

In separate dissents, Sotomayor and Jackson said they would’ve sided with the EPA and California and noted the case may become moot.

“I see no need to expound on the law of standing in a case where the sole dispute is a factual one not addressed below,” Sotomayor wrote, saying she would’ve sent the case back to the lower court for another look. 

In her separate dissent, Jackson was more forceful, saying her colleagues weren’t applying the courts’ standing doctrine evenhandedly, warning it may contribute to an erosion of public trust in judges. 

“This case gives fodder to the unfortunate perception that moneyed interests enjoy an easier road to relief in this Court than ordinary citizens. Because the Court had ample opportunity to avoid that result, I respectfully dissent,” Jackson wrote. 

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

AI Recruiters: The Future of Job Interviews

Wafa Shafiq, a 26-year-old Canadian marketing professional and lifestyle influencer, has been…

Bluffton Fire Responds to Multiple Lightning Strikes Amid Storms

The Bluffton Township Fire District (BTFD) was kept busy on Thursday due…

Chris Brown Denies New Charges in London Nightclub Assault Case

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown…

Texas Inspectors Cleared Camp Mystic’s Emergency Plan Just 2 Days Before Fatal Flood, Records Show

HUNT, Texas (AP) Texas inspectors signed off on Camp Mystic’s emergency planning…

Publix Announces Locations for New Store Openings

(NEXSTAR) – There’s good news for fans of the beloved grocery store…

Mixed Signals and Social Media Posts Spark Questions About Evacuation Delays in Kerr County flooding

KERR COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) – Social media posts piece together a timeline…

7-Eleven Celebrates 98th Anniversary with Free Slurpees and Fun Tongue Tattoos

7-Eleven is marking its 98th birthday on July 11 with a nationwide…

Aiken Resident Charged with Child Exploitation

AIKEN, S.C. () – A man has been taken into custody by…

Police Confirm Idaho Forest Hiker Not Travis Decker, Despite Similar Appearance

() Another potential Travis Decker sighting has gone cold. Authorities had been…

Iranian Enriched Uranium withstood U.S. Airstrikes, claims an Israeli Official

WASHINGTON — Israel believes at least some of Iran’s highly enriched uranium…

Zebra Mussels Endanger Wisconsin Lakes by Spreading Harmful Algae

NEENAH, Wis. (WFRV) – Zebra mussels have been found in Wisconsin lakes…

New Idaho Documentary Explores Bryan Kohberger’s Plea: ‘Why Were These 4 Kids Chosen?’

() A surprise guilty plea prevented the public from learning more about…