The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday restored California's ability to set its own zero-emission vehicle sales mandate and tailpipe emissions limits, reversing a 2019 decision by then-President Donald Trump, Trend reports citing Reuters.
The agency said it was finalizing a decision to reinstate a waiver under the Clear Air Act to California that was first awarded in 2013.
"With today’s action, we reinstate an approach that for years has helped advance clean technologies and cut air pollution for people not just in California, but for the U.S. as a whole," EPA Administrator Michael Regan said.
The EPA is also rejecting a Trump-era decision to prohibit other states from adopting the California tailpipe emission standards.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said the move remedies the Trump administration's "groundless attack on a critical program that is based on California's decades of experience setting emissions standards as authorized by law."
The California Air Resources Board said on Tuesday it plans to significantly increase electric vehicle requirements by 2030 as the state moves to phase out the sale of gasoline-powered, light-duty vehicles by 2035.