Supreme Court deals blow to California’s EV mandate
The US Supreme Court has dealt a major blow to California’s electric vehicle mandate.
California is the largest car market in the US and has made plans to ban gas-powered cars by 2035. The mandate would require all new cars to be zero-emission starting in 2026. Since California established the rule, 12 states have adopted similar mandates, though Vermont later acknowledged it lacks the resources to enforce it.
The mandate spelled disaster for the already-struggling auto industry, which is grappling with plummeting consumer demand. American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) sued California over the requirements, but the state successfully argued that the trade association lacked standing to bring the suit. A district court agreed, and the case was brought before the Supreme Court.
In a 7-2 decision on Friday, the high court overturned the district court’s ruling, exposing California to volleys of lawsuits over its EV mandate.
"The regulations likely cause the fuel producers' monetary injuries because reducing gasoline and diesel fuel consumption is the whole point of the regulations," Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote for the majority.
"The government generally may not target a business or industry through stringent and allegedly unlawful regulation, and then evade the resulting lawsuits by claiming that the targets of its regulation should be locked out of court as unaffected bystanders," he added.
‘California’s EV mandates are unlawful’
AFPM President and CEO Chet Thompson cheered the ruling.
“The Supreme Court put to rest any question about whether fuel manufacturers have a right to challenge unlawful electric vehicle mandates,” he told the Daily Caller. “California’s EV mandates are unlawful and bad for our country. Congress did not give California special authority to regulate greenhouse gases, mandate electric vehicles or ban new gas car sales—all of which the state has attempted to do through its intentional misreading of statute.”
The fight continues
Last year, the Biden Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) greenlit California’s EV mandate by granting it anti-pollution waivers. Those waivers were revoked this month by President Trump, who signed a resolution blocking the EPA from granting them and effectively scuttling the mandate.
"It's been a disaster for this country," Trump said as he signed the measure. The president promised during his campaign to crack down on EV mandates, which he warned were kneecapping carmakers. "We officially rescue the U.S. auto industry from destruction by terminating the California electric vehicle mandate once and for all."
California is challenging the resolution in court.
