{"id":3648,"date":"2026-09-07T04:18:31","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T08:18:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vr-news.net\/?p=3648"},"modified":"2026-09-07T04:18:31","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T08:18:31","slug":"federal-judge-blocks-trump-epas-efforts-to-attack-clean-air-waivers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vr-news.net\/?p=3648","title":{"rendered":"Federal Judge Blocks Trump EPA\u2019s Efforts to Attack Clean Air Waivers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Yesterday, a federal judge granted California a preliminary injunction<\/a> blocking EPA\u2019s actions targeting four Clean Air Act preemption waivers previously granted to California.<\/p>\n

Senior U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell also denied EPA\u2019s motion to dismiss the case.<\/p>\n

The preliminary injunction ordered EPA to \u201crestore the status quo\u201d before announcing the reclassification of four clean air waivers. EPA unlawfully reclassified the waivers so Congress could attempt to repeal the waivers with an expedited process under the Congressional Review Act.<\/p>\n

In response to the announcement, Sierra Club\u2019s Clean Transportation for All Director Katherine Garc\u00eda released the following statement:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cFor decades, California’s Clean Air Act waivers have protected public health and driven innovation in cleaner vehicles and engines. This summer, as families across the country struggled with rising costs, Trump\u2019s EPA and congressional Republicans chose to spend their time attacking states’ ability to protect residents from harmful pollution \u2013 instead of addressing the affordability crisis. The EPA’s move to attack these waivers would benefit Big Oil<\/a> at the expense of public health, and the court saw through it<\/a>. Congress should take this ruling as a signal to abandon this unlawful scheme entirely and get to work on the real problems facing Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Background on waivers:<\/strong><\/p>\n

In June 2026, the EPA announced it was reclassifying four Clean Air Act preemption waiver orders into rules subject to Congressional Review Act. The four waivers enable California to address air pollution through the following standards:<\/p>\n