CA waiver

Environmental waiver at risk 

Mikaela Foehr / Assistant News Editor / The USD Vista

California’s greatest tool in the fight against climate change may be at risk.  According to a recent New York Times article, the Trump administration is planning to revoke a waiver granted to the state by the Clean Air Act of 1970. This waiver allows California to set stricter air pollution regulations than the rest of the country. Over the past year, this has become a conflict between the Trump administration and the populous state.

Last August, California announced it would stick to the auto-emission standards set by President Obama in 2012. The standards require a growing minimum mileage for new cars sold in the U.S., which would freeze at 54.5 miles per gallon in the year 2026. The state has chosen to follow these standards in direct opposition to the Trump administration, which proposed to abandon them.

The current administration believes that these standards will cost American consumers and car manufacturers too much money, while California is focusing on the significant decrease in emissions and gas use that they would facilitate. Instead of creating cars with varying fuel efficiencies, Ford, Honda, BMW, and Volkswagen have chosen to meet California’s higher standards.  

Both sides of this conflict have clear advantages and disadvantages in cities like San Diego, where cars are preferred to public transportation. One side warns that cars may become more expensive. The other cautions San Diegans that their ozone, the sixth most polluted out in the country, is in need of environmental support.

Committed to its cause, the Trump administration will attempt to eliminate California’s waiver, setting the stage for a Supreme Court case over the state’s right to set its own environmental standards.