BALTIMORE (March 9, 2022) – Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh today released this statement following the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) final action restoring California’s waiver under the Clean Air Act for its greenhouse gas (GHG) and zero-emission vehicle programs. Attorney General Frosh was part of multistate litigation during the Trump administration defending California’s longstanding authority to set its own vehicle emission standards.
“California’s clean car standards, which Maryland and numerous other states have adopted, have improved air quality across the country, and have been an integral component of our fight against the worldwide climate crisis. The Trump administration’s assault on these standards unlawfully reversed the trajectory toward better environmental stewardship and fewer dangerous pollutants in the air we breathe. We fully support the Biden administration’s action in restoring California’s waiver under the Clean Air Act.”
Attorney General Frosh previously urged the Biden administration to reduce emissions from the transportation sector and to reaffirm California's authority to do the same. This summer, Attorney General Frosh joined comments urging EPA to restore California’s waiver under the Clean Air Act for its GHG and zero-emission vehicle standards. The Attorney General also joined a coalition in a lawsuit against the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) challenging the Trump-era “Preemption Rule,” which purported to preempt California’s GHG and zero-emission-vehicles standards. On December 21, 2021, NHTSA announced a repeal of that rule.
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“California’s clean car standards, which Maryland and numerous other states have adopted, have improved air quality across the country, and have been an integral component of our fight against the worldwide climate crisis. The Trump administration’s assault on these standards unlawfully reversed the trajectory toward better environmental stewardship and fewer dangerous pollutants in the air we breathe. We fully support the Biden administration’s action in restoring California’s waiver under the Clean Air Act.”
Attorney General Frosh previously urged the Biden administration to reduce emissions from the transportation sector and to reaffirm California's authority to do the same. This summer, Attorney General Frosh joined comments urging EPA to restore California’s waiver under the Clean Air Act for its GHG and zero-emission vehicle standards. The Attorney General also joined a coalition in a lawsuit against the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) challenging the Trump-era “Preemption Rule,” which purported to preempt California’s GHG and zero-emission-vehicles standards. On December 21, 2021, NHTSA announced a repeal of that rule.
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