Oregon joins lawsuit challenging Trump administration’s attack on strict emission standards

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield and nine other states have sued the Trump administration over its attempts to dismantle strict car and truck emissions standards meant to reduce air pollution and push a transition from gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles to electric ones.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in northern California, comes on the same day that

President Donald Trump approved

a move by Congress

to revoke three clean air waivers

that allow California to set stronger emission rules with federal permission under the Clean Air Act. Oregon and a dozen other states also have adopted the waivers, which are granted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Congress blocked the waivers in May, just as it also is seeking to end generous tax credits for electric vehicles set under the Biden administration. Trump had also sought to block California’s strict emission standards during his first term but they were reinstated by Biden.

The legal complaint

– which names the U.S. government, President Donald Trump, the EPA and its administrator, Lee Zeldin – alleges that the U.S. House and Senate unlawfully used the

Congressional Review Act

to block California’s waivers. The act allows Congress to quickly review and overturn new rules issued by federal government agencies.

Congress rescinding the waivers negates regulations to transition all new passenger cars, SUVs and light-duty pickup trucks sold in Oregon to battery or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles by 2035 and to require medium- and heavy-duty truck manufacturers in the state to sell a rising percentage of new plug-in hybrid or zero-emission trucks as part of their overall sales.

It also upends rules that require diesel and gas-powered trucks to meet tougher pollution standards for nitrogen oxides, which contribute to smog.

Emissions from transportation make up 35% of Oregon’s total greenhouse gas emissions — the largest sector across the state. Tailpipe pollution also contributes to health problems, including asthma, heart disease and premature death, especially in low-income communities located near highways and industrial areas.

“These clean air standards aren’t just about cars – they’re about protecting Oregonians’ health, our environment and our future,” Rayfield said in a statement. “Oregon adopted these rules because we’re already seeing the impacts of air pollution and climate change in our communities, from worsening wildfires to rising asthma rates in kids.”

The lawsuit seeks to strike down the federal resolutions that rescinded the clean air waivers and to require the federal government to honor the stricter emissions standards adopted by the states.

Other states that joined the lawsuit are Colorado, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

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— Gosia Wozniacka covers environmental justice, climate change, the clean energy transition and other environmental issues. Reach her at gwozniacka@oregonian.com or 971-421-3154.

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