Focus
Trump administration takes aim at California’s zero-emission mandates
CBT News – February 17
The Trump administration is taking steps to challenge California’s authority to set stricter vehicle emissions standards by targeting state rules that mandate the sale of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). Last Friday, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced plans to submit California’s air pollution waivers to Congress for review, potentially allowing lawmakers to revoke them. This decision aligns with the administration’s broader efforts to roll back environmental regulations that it says impose excessive costs on businesses and limit consumer choice. At the center of the debate is California’s Clean Cars II program, which requires automakers to sell an increasing percentage of ZEVs, culminating in a ban on new gasoline-powered vehicle sales by 2035.
News
California lawmaker proposes state-level ‘forever chemical’ limits
The Hill – February 19
California Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel this Wednesday introduced legislation that would establish state-mandated drinking water standards for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) amid fears that existing federal limits could be eliminated by the Trump administration. Assembly Bill 794 would direct the State Water Resources Control Board to adopt emergency regulations that would set limits at least as protective as the “federal regulation that was in effect on January 19, 2025, regardless of whether the requirements were repealed or amended to be less stringent.” The emergency regulations would need to be issued by Jan. 1, 2026, with formal rulemaking to follow and “to lock in place the protections that currently exist in federal law,” Gabriel said at a Wednesday webinar.
Environmental groups sue to block Trump’s offshore drilling expansion
Reuters – February 19
Environmental groups this Wednesday filed a lawsuit in Alaska federal court to block President Donald Trump’s administration from allowing offshore oil drilling along broad swaths of U.S. coastline. The lawsuit alleges that Trump has no authority to undo former President Joe Biden’s permanent protections against drilling in parts of the Arctic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Gulf of Mexico, which Trump recently renamed the Gulf of America. It alleges that drilling in those areas would have “significant, wide-ranging adverse impacts” on endangered species, sensitive ecosystems, and local tribes. Former President Joe Biden had banned new offshore oil and gas development along most U.S. coastlines ahead of Trump taking office; Trump sought to undo that move as part of a flurry of executive orders within hours of his inauguration.
Altadena’s charred EV batteries spark concern for San Gabriel Valley water agency
Pasadena Star-News - February 19
Potentially toxic lithium-ion batteries pried from burned-out electric vehicles in the Eaton fire and transported to a temporary hazardous waste collection site in Azusa for processing have raised concerns about toxic metals leaching into nearby sources of drinking water. The Main San Gabriel Basin Watermaster, an agency responsible for the safety of groundwater supplies for nearly two million Los Angeles County residents, sounded an alarm recently over the crushing of these batteries on a dirt bank of the San Gabriel River. The Watermaster has asked EPA, which is in charge of the hazardous waste staging area, to relocate the battery-crushing activity from the site.
Oil pipeline company sues California regulators in effort to restart line that caused 2015 spill
Courthouse News Service – February 19
The owner and operator of the oil pipeline responsible for a devastating 2015 oil spill near Santa Barbara sued the California Coastal Commission seeking approval to repair and restart the line. Sable Offshore Corporation accuses the state agency of “unlawfully prevent[ing] repair and maintenance activities along portions of the pipelines.” This Tuesday, the Coastal Commission sent Sable a second cease and desist order directing the company to refrain from any repair work on the line.
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