Latest news with #cleanAir
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A win for Utah and Oklahoma: Supreme Court tells EPA to back off
The U.S. Supreme Court favored Oklahoma and Utah against the Environmental Protection Agency in an 8-0 decision on Wednesday, with Justice Samuel Alito not participating. The case, Oklahoma v. Environmental Protection Agency, was a dispute that began over clean air obligations, but what ultimately brought it to the higher court was the issue of exclusive jurisdiction. In 2015, the EPA established new clean air obligations nationwide and required states to submit plans outlining how they would comply. Utah, Oklahoma and 19 other states had their plans to reduce pollution across state lines denied. Two years ago, both states separately took the EPA to court in their shared regional circuit court in Denver, Colorado. The federal agency countered the cases, combining them and arguing that they should be moved to the D.C. Circuit because the augmented air quality standards were a national change. The Colorado court allowed the transfer. The states disagreed, taking it to the Supreme Court. Just because the EPA published a single Federal Register notice to multiple states does not justify moving the cases to Washington, D.C., the states argued. Both Utah and Oklahoma want the cases returned to their shared 10th Circuit. And the Supreme Court agreed. 'The two SIP ( or state implementation plan) disapprovals here are undisputedly locally or regionally applicable actions. A SIP is a state-specific plan, so an EPA disapproval on its face applies only to the State that proposed the SIP,' the ruling said. 'EPA's and the Tenth Circuit's contrary arguments fail.' 'The Tenth Circuit erred in holding that petitioners' challenges should be reviewed in the D. C. Circuit. EPA's disapprovals of the Oklahoma and Utah SIPs are locally or regionally applicable actions. And, these cases are not ones where the 'nationwide scope or effect' exception applies,' Justice Clarence Thomas' opinion added. 'Accordingly, as with most locally or regionally applicable actions, petitioners' challenges can be heard only in a regional Circuit. The judgment of the Court of Appeals is reversed, and the cases are remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.' Following the ruling, Utah Attorney General Derek Brown and his office, including Utah Solicitor General Stanford E. Purser, who was on the defense team in the case, praised the ruling. 'The Court agreed with Utah's argument involving the Clean Air Act that local courts should handle local issues, and the federal government should collaborate with the states — not ignore their unique differences," Brown said in a statement to the Deseret News. 'I am also proud of Utah's Solicitor General, Stan Purser, for his critical role on the legal team that helped secure this win. ... We are also grateful to the Trump Administration's EPA for reconsidering its ruling that required litigation in the first place, and look forward to our continued partnership on behalf of Utah.'
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Trump blocks California's ban on new sales of gas-powered cars
The Brief President Trump has blocked California's 2035 ban on the sale of gas-powered vehicles. In response to his blocking, California has filed a lawsuit challenging the motion. President Donald Trump signed a resolution blocking California's first-in-the-nation rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. The state quickly announced it was challenging the move in court. What we know The resolution was approved by Congress last month and aims to quash the country's most aggressive attempt to phase out gas-powered cars. Trump also signed measures to overturn state policies curbing tailpipe emissions in certain vehicles and smog-forming nitrogen oxide pollution from trucks. Trump called California's regulations "crazy" at a White House ceremony where he signed the resolutions on Thursday. "It's been a disaster for this country," he said. The other side In response to the president's decision, California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit, saying Trump's actions "will have life or death consequences for CA communities breathing dirty, toxic air." "We've filed our lawsuit against the Trump Admin for illegally targeting California's clean vehicles program. CA will fiercely defend ourselves from this lawless federal overreach," Bonta wrote in a post on X. Dig deeper The three resolutions Trump signed will block California's rule phasing out gas-powered cars and end the sale of new ones by 2035. They will also kill rules that phase out the sale of medium- and heavy-duty diesel vehicles and cut tailpipe emissions from trucks. In his remarks at the White House, Trump expressed doubts about the performance and reliability of electric vehicles, though he had some notably positive comments about the company owned by Elon Musk, despite their fractured relationship. "I like Tesla," Trump said. In remarks that often meandered away from the subject at hand, Trump used the East Room ceremony to also muse on windmills, which he claimed "are killing our country," the prospect of getting electrocuted by an electric-powered boat if it sank and whether he'd risk a shark attack by jumping as the boat went down. "I'll take electrocution every single day," the president said. When it comes to cars, Trump said he likes combustion engines but for those that prefer otherwise, "If you want to buy electric, you can buy electric." What they're saying "What this does is it gives us freedom," said Bill Kent, the owner of Kent Kwik convenience stores. Kent, speaking at the White House, said that the California rules would have forced him to install "infrastructure that frankly, is extremely expensive and doesn't give you any return." The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents major car makers, applauded Trump's action. "Everyone agreed these EV sales mandates were never achievable and wildly unrealistic," John Bozzella, the group's president and CEO, said in a statement. Trump's signing of the resolutions comes as he has pledged to revive American auto manufacturing and boost oil and gas drilling. The move follows other steps the Trump administration has taken to roll back rules that aim to protect air and water and reduce emissions that cause climate change. The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday proposed repealing rules that limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants fueled by coal and natural gas. Dan Becker with the Center for Biological Diversity, said the signing of the resolutions was "Trump's latest betrayal of democracy." "Signing this bill is a flagrant abuse of the law to reward Big Oil and Big Auto corporations at the expense of everyday people's health and their wallets," Becker said in a statement. California, which has some of the nation's worst air pollution, has been able to seek waivers for decades from the EPA, allowing it to adopt stricter emissions standards than the federal government. In his first term, Trump revoked California's ability to enforce its standards, but Democratic President Joe Biden reinstated it in 2022. Trump has not yet sought to revoke it again. Republicans have long criticized those waivers and earlier this year opted to use the Congressional Review Act, a law aimed at improving congressional oversight of actions by federal agencies, to try to block the rules. That's despite a finding from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan congressional watchdog, that California's standards cannot legally be blocked using the Congressional Review Act. The Senate parliamentarian agreed with that finding. California, which makes up roughly 11% of the U.S. car market, has significant power to sway trends in the auto industry. About a dozen states signed on to adopt California's rule phasing out the sale of new gas-powered cars. The Source Information for this story came from President Donald Trump, an X post by AG Rob Bonta, and the Associated Press.
CTV News
27-05-2025
- Health
- CTV News
The Right to a Healthy Environment: N.B. Green Party pushes forward with Bill 19
New Brunswick's Green Party is bringing forward a big bill this week in the legislature. They hope to secure the right to a healthy environment, including the right to clean air and clean water for all New Brunswickers. Green Party Leader David Coon says the bill aims to not only give New Brunswickers that right, but also the tools needed to uphold it moving forward. 'It would create an environmental commissioner, a new officer of the legislature assembly who you could go to ask to investigate when you think those rights are being violated. Maybe because a policy was established that runs counter to upholding the right to a clean environment or a healthy environment. Maybe because there's been a failure to enforce existing regulations, standards of environmental quality and the environmental commissioner could weigh in on that,' he said. Additionally, Bill-19 would give residents greater access to the courts to defend that right, the chance to request an investigation by the Department of Environment and would ensure better protection for whistle blowers who raise concerns. Coon says it would also put a big emphasis on children. 'It's substantively different in that it mixes human rights law with environmental law,' he said. Right now, Bill-19 is scheduled to move forward with a second reading debate on Thursday afternoon and, while not routine, Coon says Premier Susan Holt will allow her caucus to have a free vote on it. He says the ask this week is for members to vote on whether or not, in principle, they agree with the idea and not the specifics of the law itself. 'We're hoping we can get it to the next phase, specifically the law and amendments committee, to give New Brunswickers, First Nations, greater opportunity to engage on the bill,' he said. NB Lung, an advocacy group that has been in New Brunswick since 1933, has been publicly supporting the bill. 'We want people to know that the health of New Brunswickers and the health of our environment are completely linked and we can't have one without the other,' said President and CEO Melanie Langille. 'For too long health and environment have been siloed and we're trying to bring them together.' To date, NB Lung has released an online petition, plans to have representatives present at the legislature on Thursday, and has found easy, modern-day ways for New Brunswickers to show their support. 'We know that sometimes its very intimidating for people to speak to their MLAs, so we are using a tool online where an individual just has to simply put their name and their postal code and a pre-written letter, you can adjust it if it doesn't suit you, but it will go to your elected officials,' said Langille. 'Air pollution and climate change increase the likelihood of developing lung disease and exacerbate the lung health symptoms for the one in five New Brunswickers that live with lung disease right now, so protecting our environment is very important for those of us that are worried about lung health.' The New Brunswick legislation only has two more weeks in house before summer break, meaning if it receives support to go to the law amendments committee it would likely be in September according to Coon. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
RNZ News
23-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Rotorua finally shrugs off polluted air status
For the first time in twenty years, Rotorua residents can wake up and officially breath in clean air. Photo: RNZ/Sally Round For the first time in twenty years, Rotorua residents can wake up and officially breath in clean air. Bay of Plenty Regional Council councillor Lyall Thurston said it had taken a collective effort from the community, councils, government and public health officials for Rotorua to officially shed its 'polluted' air quality status. "It's a major day for Rotorua and New Zealand, in particular in terms of public health," he said. Rotorua has long struggled with poor winter-time air quality, due to smoke from wood burners getting trapped by Rotorua's unique landscape. Smoke contains tiny particles, called particulate matter, and there is a national standard for the amount of particulate matter with a diameter of 10 micrometres or less (called PM10) which can be in the air. For a time, Rotorua was the city with the worst winter-time air pollution in the country and in 2008 it recorded 37 days when PM10 air pollution exceeded the national standard. To remove the polluted status, Rotorua was required to have no more than one breach of the national standard a year, for five years in a row. In 2020 it recorded its first year with only one day exceeding the standard. The following four years it had no days exceeding the standard, meaning the 'polluted' status can finally be removed. Thurston said there had been a massive education campaign to inform people about the need to clean up the air in Rotorua. "The main issues have been to get people to install compliant wood burners because wood burners are clearly the main culprit that we have been dealing with," he said. Thurston said the regional council had "been more than generous" in helping residents replace dirty heating for a cleaner option. This included the Rotorua Hot Swap Scheme which ran from 2010 - 2021, giving low interest loans or grants to households who replaced their non-compliant burners with cleaner, more efficient heating methods, such as ultra-low emission burners and heat pumps. Thurston said while the milestone marked significant progress to improving the city's air quality, the journey towards cleaner air in Rotorua continued. "I think the battle will always be there, but through compliance and rules and the goodwill of the Rotorua community, we will be breathing clean air going forward for as long as we possibly can," he said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Fox News
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- Fox News
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM: Protecting American jobs
Not too long ago, Republicans and Democrats could find common ground on clean air and water. But we are in a darker time now. We are far from the days when conservative heroes Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan signed the Clean Air Act in 1970 and the Montreal Protocol in 1987, landmark initiatives that put the health of Americans over the interests of polluters. Instead, this week, Senate Republicans are illegally using the Congressional Review Act to undermine California's work to make and keep the air breathable. Eliminating California's clean-air waivers is an attack on decades of work that began in earnest when then-Governor Reagan established the state's Air Resources Board in 1967. California's clean-air standards, which 17 other states have chosen to follow, have pushed American car companies to innovate — and to become globally competitive. Global electric car sales rose by 35% in the first quarter of 2025, primarily driven by the growing affordability of electric models. American companies founded right here in California pioneered electric vehicles, but we risk losing our advantage in the global marketplace. China is now the world's EV manufacturing hub, responsible for more than 70% of global production, with Chinese imports making up three-quarters of the increase in EV sales across all emerging economies outside of China in 2024. Meanwhile, the U.S. has become a net importer of electric cars. Instead of turning that around, Republicans and some leaders in the auto industry are giving up. California has worked with the auto industry on reasonable and cost-effective air-quality standards for over five decades. Until now, they have been good partners. Overturning the standards that drive American manufacturing innovation will destroy the footholds we've made in this market — and will be the death of legacy automakers, thousands of good-paying manufacturing jobs in the United States. Republicans have decided that clean air and good jobs aren't priorities. It's unclear what's important to them, but it's certainly not American workers. In 2021, Ford announced a $5.8 billion battery manufacturing campus in Glendale, Kentucky, that will add close to 5,000 new jobs. In 2023, Toyota said it's investing $8 billion – now totaling nearly $14 billion – in a clean vehicle, battery, and energy storage project in Liberty, North Carolina, that is expected to create 3,000 jobs in a Republican district. These investments happened because clean-car policies succeeded in pushing these companies to stay competitive globally — and to do better for these American communities. What will become of them now? Republicans want to cut off the driving force behind this progress, even if that means stopping investments in their own districts. If we lose this fight, we don't just lose California's leadership on clean cars, we lose the race for the future. California's clean car rule is a critical test case for the U.S. clean vehicle strategy for the 21st century. It's why automakers are finally investing in electric. It's how we're cutting pollution and building a market that reflects our values. And it's how we're protecting this country from the economic tsunami headed our way. If Republicans succeed in gutting our standards, we're clearing the road for China to dominate the global auto market. Last year, Chinese manufacturer BYD Automotive debuted its Seagull model, a luxury EV nicknamed the "Lamborghini mini," for as low as $9,700. It has set an entirely new bar for the EV market and the car market as a whole. If Republicans fold, the streets in Asia, Europe, and Africa will be dominated by affordable Chinese models like this instead of American ones. Republican plans to prevent states from pushing American car companies to do better are a disservice to this country. American car companies will be outmatched. Workers will suffer. Nothing less than the air we breathe and our economy is at stake. As California has shown over and over again, there is a better way — one that leads to clean air, good jobs, and another century of innovation and economic prosperity.
