On August 12, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission announced that it had “closed its investigation into whether several truck and engine manufacturers and their trade association violated the antitrust laws by entering the...more
President Trump took steps to dismantle California’s vehicle emissions standards on June 12, 2025, by signing three Congressional Review Act (“CRA”) resolutions revoking California’s waiver under the Clean Air Act. The waiver...more
Vehicle manufacturers and operators in California are no stranger to complex regulations, with the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) history of pioneering mobile emission regulations. ...more
Within hours of his inauguration, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order titled “Unleashing American Energy.” This Executive Order contained several provisions that significantly shift current policies and...more
California’s Air Resources Board (CARB) on Jan. 13 sent a letter to withdraw its request to the Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to Sections 209(b) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) for a federal waiver that would require...more
Foley & Lardner announced the 2024 installment of its Auto Trends series—A Year in Review: Updates, Trends and the Road Ahead. This series delves deep into the transformative forces shaping the automotive world by providing...more
Under President Joe Biden’s Administration, multiple programs were created to invest in the necessary infrastructure and to support private development of the electric vehicle industry. Given the anticipated shift away from...more
Nebraska AG Mike Hilgers, joined by energy trade associations, filed an antitrust lawsuit against several truck manufacturers, alleging they violated Nebraska law by engaging in anticompetitive practices to phase out Class 8...more
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 29, 2024, signed California Assembly Bill 98 (AB 98) into law. This bill, which is part of California's ongoing efforts to regulate warehousing and trucking activity to reduce emissions...more
Last week, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin announced that, effective January 1, 2025, Virginia will exit a California-led electric vehicle (EV) mandate and will instead comply with less stringent federal guidelines. The...more
A coalition of 17 states led by Nebraska is suing California for creating ZEV standards for trucking fleets, saying the state’s rule violates the Constitution’s Commerce Clause. California’s Advanced Clean Fleets regulation,...more
Good afternoon! This is Akin’s newsletter on climate change policy and regulatory developments, providing information on major climate policy headlines from the past week and forthcoming climate-related events and hearings...more
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday narrowed the scope of the 1972 Clean Water Act by ruling that an Idaho couple's property does not include wetlands subject to federal oversight under the law. The decision in Sackett v. EPA...more
On September 21, 2022 the California Energy Commission (CEC) issued its draft report of the Lithium Valley Commission, which includes 44 recommendations concerning the opportunities and challenges associated with the...more
On August 25, 2022, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved the Advanced Clean Cars II rule (Rule), requiring all new vehicles sold in California to be zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2035. Governor Gavin Newsom...more
A leader in stringent auto emission regulations, the State of California recently took additional steps in its effort to further protect the environment. On August 25, 2022, the California Air Resources Board (“CARB”) voted...more
Virginia AG Jason Miyares has confirmed that Virginia will be legally bound by a recent California rulemaking banning the sale of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035. As a result of legislation passed in 2021 by the Virginia...more
California continues to push toward its statewide carbon-neutrality goals. On August 25, 2022, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) unanimously approved regulations that require all new 2035 and later passenger...more
U.S. EPA drops challenge of Redwood City salt ponds' protection under Clean Water Act - SFGate – February 26 - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last Friday withdrew an appeal filed by the Trump...more
Potential wide-ranging impacts on Engines, Energy, Infrastructure and Shipping - California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Executive Order N-79-20 seeks to address climate change concerns and significantly reduce greenhouse gas...more
On September 23rd, Governor Gavin Newsom issued a precedent-setting executive order cementing California’s continued effort to take the lead on clean vehicle policy. Executive Order N-79-20 establishes as a goal that, where...more
On June 26, 2020, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) adopted the Advanced Clean Truck rule, a first-of-its-kind regulation requiring medium and heavy duty truck and van manufacturers to transition to producing...more
Around the world, governments are considering how to spur electric vehicle adoption and usage. One area of focus is infrastructure development. In the United Kingdom, the Queen’s Speech included the announcement of an...more
On January 12, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) released a Midterm Review of California’s Advanced Clean Cars program, which established Low-Emission Vehicle III (LEV III) standards for certain model year 2015-2025...more
California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law last week two controversial anti-climate change bills that will tighten greenhouse gas (GHG) limits by 40% and increase legislative supervision of the California Air Resources...more