Vehicles driving westbound for the Bay Bridge from Oakland, Calif. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP/File)
March 13, 2026 8:08 AM, EDT
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Trump administration ramped up a battle with California over the state’s nation-leading vehicle-emission standards March 12, suing air regulators over rules aimed at curbing pollution from cars.
President Donald Trump has long fought California’s efforts to curb tailpipe emissions and spur electric vehicle adoption, and last summer he blocked the state’s first-in-the-nation ban on the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035.
He also has routinely criticized California’s highest-in-the-nation gas prices, which are largely due to taxes and environmental regulations.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office blasted the lawsuit, noting it comes as gas prices climb amid the Iran war and as some drivers consider going electric.
“Gas prices are soaring nationwide because of Trump’s reckless choices, and now he’s attacking the Golden State for trying to give Californians more freedom and cheaper options,” Newsom spokesperson Anthony Martinez said in a statement.
It cost Californians $5.37 a gallon on average March 12 to fill up at the pump, according to the American Automobile Association. That’s compared with a national average of $3.60 per gallon. Gas prices are up about 56 cents a gallon statewide and 35 cents a gallon nationwide since last week, rising roughly 20% since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.
“It’s ironic that they’re doing this just at the time when people are most worried about gas prices,” said Dan Farber, faculty director of the Center for Law, Energy, and the Environment at the University of California, Berkeley’s law school.
After Trump blocked California’s stringent electric vehicle mandates last year, the state quickly sued over the move. The California Air Resources Board then said previously adopted standards tackling emissions from cars that pose climate and public health risks would remain in effect even if the state’s more ambitious rules remained blocked.
But the federal government said in its lawsuit that the state didn’t have the authority to enforce even its less stringent standards.
“Oppressive, expensive electric vehicle mandates drive up costs for American consumers and violate federal law,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.
California, which has some of the nation’s worst air pollution, has for decades been able to seek approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to adopt stricter emissions standards than the federal government. Other states can sign on to adopt California’s rules.
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During Trump’s first term, his administration revoked that authority. The federal government reinstated California’s waiver authority in 2022 under Democratic President Joe Biden.
The Trump administration separately last year announced plans to weaken rules set under Biden for how far automakers’ new vehicles need to travel on a gallon of gasoline.
Weber reported from Los Angeles.
