EPA takes action to revoke CA vehicle emissions waiver

October 2nd, 2019 by Dakota Software Staff

In a reversal of decades of rulemaking, the Environmental Protection Agency recently took action to revoke the state of California's authority to set more stringent emissions standards for cars and light trucks.

The decision most directly affects a 2013 Clean Air Act waiver that allowed the state to make its own rules related to vehicle emissions for the vehicle categories that are most common on its and the country's roads, as CBS News reported. However, California has long enjoyed special status in terms of setting rules for the greenhouse gas emissions from such vehicles, CNN said, due in part to a history of air pollution in some of the most populated areas of the state. State officials have indicated they will fight the decision in court, a process which could take a significant amount of time and leaves the finality of the decision in doubt.

California vowed to fight a regulatory change that stripped its ability to set vehicle emission regulations.

Attempt to create one set of regulations may lead to more complications

A desire to create a single set of automotive emission regulations for the entire country was motivation for the decision cited by the White House and EPA during the process of revoking the waiver. In theory, this would offer the federal government the ability to determine emissions limits for the entire country and avoid situations where businesses have to comply with several sets of rules. That's especially important because other states follow California's emissions requirements, which in essence creates two regulatory environments in which automakers must operate if they want to sell their products in all 50 states.

The situation becomes far more complicated, however, because of California's decision to challenge the rule in court as well as four major automakers' decision to adhere to that state's standards despite the revocation of official status. CBS pointed out that BMW, Ford, Honda and Volkswagen decided to follow the stricter rules because of considerations related to international competition. Other countries have more restrictive limits and a lack of adherence to such rules could limit the companies' ability to compete in those areas.

The importance of tracking pending regulations

The disagreement between the EPA, White House and California is just one example of the complexities that can quickly arise in what seem like straightforward environmental regulations. Effective regulatory support can make a major difference for companies in terms of maintaining compliance and avoiding negative consequences, as well as staying abreast of recent developments. To learn more, get in touch with the experts at Dakota Software.