A coalition of 19 states, led by Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, filed a lawsuit earlier this month seeking a review of the EPA’s decision to allow California to ban the use of diesel-powered trucks by 2035, The Epoch Times reported.
In April, the EPA granted two waivers to the California Air Resource Board allowing stricter emissions rules than those in the Clean Air Act, clearing the way for the state to phase out diesel engines and vehicles.
According to the lawsuit, the waivers for California will likely open the door to other states imposing a similar ban.
In a press release announcing the lawsuit, Attorney General Bird said neither California nor the EPA has the right or “legal justification” to require truck drivers to “follow their radical climate agenda.” She argued that a ban on diesel trucks would force the US economy to “grind to a halt,” as truckers could no longer deliver clothing, food, and other necessities.
In addition to Iowa, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming have also signed onto the lawsuit.
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said in a statement that the California diesel ban would force truckers to purchase electric vehicles, effectively regulating the trucking industry out of existence.
Morrisey warned that the California regulations have set a standard for the rest of the country, with eight states already adopting a similar ban while other states are considering it.
Morrisey said that the Biden administration’s “woke climate agenda” will lead to “massive job losses” and increasing costs while devastating the demand for liquid fuels.
Under California’s new regulations, private companies, local and state governments, delivery services, and the US Postal Service must begin to transition to zero-emissions vehicles next year, with the goal of being 100 percent electric by 2035.
