The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Wednesday in a case regarding California’s clean car standards, which require car companies to sell vehicles producing less pollution, including electric or hybrid cars.
The big picture: The court was focused on determining if fuel producers had the authority to challenge the standards, rather than considering the legality of the standards themselves.
- A lower court had ruled that fuel producers, along with biofuel companies and trade groups, did not have standing to bring the case.
- Justices expressed differing opinions during the oral arguments. Some justices raised concerns about the fuel producers’ right to challenge the standards, while others were critical of the arguments put forth by the federal government and California.
Go deeper: Justice Brett Kavanaugh noted that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did not initially object to the lawsuit based on the producers’ standing.
- The fuel producers argued that California’s rule was disadvantaging them in the market, despite the regulation being aimed at the auto industry.
- The EPA and California contended that the facts and market dynamics had changed since the standards were approved in 2013.
- The EPA’s approval is required for California to issue such rules, and this approval was revoked by the Trump administration but reinstated under the Biden administration.
- If the Supreme Court revives the dismissed case, lower courts would have to decide whether to uphold the California rule, which could eventually lead to the case returning to the high court.
- California has since enacted even stricter standards, including a ban on the sale of gas-powered cars in the state by 2035, a move that was approved by the Biden administration but may face congressional challenges.
