President Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency on Friday moved to refer purportedly costly regulations implemented by the Biden administration to the Republican-controlled Congress for review, setting up their demise.
In December 2024, the EPA approved Californian vehicle regulations requiring manufacturers to comply with more stringent emissions standards and to produce more zero-emission vehicles without sending them to Congress for review, as is typically required. The regulations specifically targeted the manufacturers of cargo trucks. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin argued that these last-second regulations did not go through the proper channels and that they impose costs on all Americans, not just Californians.
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“The Biden Administration failed to send rules on California’s waivers to Congress, preventing Members of Congress from deciding on extremely consequential actions that have massive impacts and costs across the entire United States,” Zeldin said from the Oval Office. “The American people are struggling to make ends meet while dealing with rules that take away their ability to choose a safe and affordable vehicle for their families. As an agency, we are accountable to Congress, but most importantly we must be accountable to the American people.”
The EPA’s press release announcing the move argues that the Californian regulations “increased the costs of goods and the cost of living for American families across the country” due to their impact on shipping costs.
Indeed, several truck dealerships told the Commercial Carrier Journal, a trade publication, that vendors would not have been able to purchase enough electric vehicles to comply with regulations and, even if they could, they likely wouldn’t find buyers to purchase them.
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Zeldin’s move to roll back approval for California’s regulations represents one part of a broader energy deregulation scheme envisioned by the Trump administration. Other components have included unfreezing liquid natural gas exports, rolling back methane regulations, and reversing offshore drilling bans.
President Donald Trump has assembled a National Energy Dominance Council by tapping top figures like Zeldin and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to advance his agenda.
