The Trump administration is preparing a plan to strip California’s authority to set tougher auto efficiency regulations than the federal government, even while agencies continue finalizing a rollback of national standards, according to a person familiar with the matter.Companies can't afford to make one set of cars for CA and another for the rest of the country. Since CA has 1/8 of the U.S. population, manufacturers also can't afford to give up the CA market.
The matter is still under consideration and no final decision to proceed has been made but is expected in the coming days, said the person, who requested anonymity to discuss the matter.
Under the plan, the Environmental Protection Agency would revoke a waiver granted to California allowing the state to limit vehicle greenhouse gas emissions more stringently than federal rules, as well as the state’s requirement that companies sell electric cars in greater numbers each year, the person said. In addition, the U.S. Transportation Department plans to assert that the California regulations are preempted by federal fuel-economy regulations.
Thus, when CA makes rules, car companies apply them to the whole country. Basically, the CA tail is wagging the U.S. dog.
CA shouldn't be able to legislate for the entire country, something they've been getting away with for years. It's time the Feds stopped this abuse.
