In brief: FHWA updates road safety rules, California defends environmental policies, and diesel prices continue to drop

California calls legislative session to defend environmental policies against Trump Administration

California Governor Gavin Newsom has expressed concern over the re-election of President-elect Donald Trump, particularly regarding key climate change policies and emissions regulations. In response, he has called for an extraordinary legislative session on December 2. Newsom noted that his office and the Attorney General’s office have been preparing for over a year to legally challenge federal policies they deem unconstitutional or illegal, with the goal of defending California’s environmental laws and programs.

In a recent speech, Trump expressed his intention to repeal the electric vehicle mandate imposed by the Biden-Harris administration, citing challenges related to the range and weight of electric trucks compared to diesel trucks. This mandate is tied to the EPA’s stringent emissions standards for light- and heavy-duty vehicles, which aim to increase electric vehicle production in the automotive industry.

The extraordinary session in California is designed to allocate additional funds to the Department of Justice and other state agencies to support litigation against the Trump administration’s policies, defend against potential lawsuits, and take action to mitigate the negative impacts of these policies.

Meanwhile, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) recently amended its Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule, allowing greater flexibility in the certification of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). The amendments include changes to the ZEV credit system, allowing manufacturers to receive credits when delivering vehicles to dealerships rather than waiting for the final sale to consumers. Additionally, manufacturers will now be able to trade, sell, or transfer these credits between them.