Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller on federal threats to Washington’s clean vehicle transition
"As our Attorney General’s Office fights to protect our state’s rights, we’ll continue working with the Legislature, industry partners, local governments, and other states to continue our progress on clean transportation."
Earlier today, Washington joined 10 other states in a lawsuit challenging efforts by Congress and President Trump to rescind stronger state standards on vehicle pollution known as “vehicle emissions standards.”
Since 1970, the U.S. Clean Air Act has allowed states to adopt more stringent vehicle emission standards than the federal minimums. President Trump signed three Congressional Review Act resolutions that seek to undo this state authority and roll back the standards. The review act has never been used to rescind state emission standards before, and the action runs counter to Government Accountability Office and Senate Parliamentarian findings that the federal waivers giving states this authority are not subject to congressional review.
Transitioning to clean vehicles is an essential to meeting the state's legal limits on greenhouse gas emissions. These federal actions also threaten public health in Washington, especially in communities that already suffer serious health impacts due to exposure to exhaust from vehicles.
In response to these developments, Washington Department of Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller issued this statement:
The Trump administration’s actions are an unlawful attempt to strip states of their rights to improve public health and protect people from environmental threats like climate change.
Here in Washington, people have overwhelmingly supported state-led efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. We also see industry rising to the occasion to meet these goals.
In Washington, one in five new vehicles sold today already runs on zero-emission technology. Those vehicles are everything from family SUVs to delivery vans to semi-trucks. Consumers and businesses in Washington have shown that they want more clean vehicle options, and stronger state standards drive innovation.
We’re not going to slow down that progress. Washingtonians already experience the impacts of climate change every year, from drought and wildfire to flooding and sea-level rise. As our Attorney General’s Office fights to protect our state’s rights, we’ll continue working with the Legislature, industry partners, local governments, and other states to continue our progress on clean transportation. At a time of great uncertainty, that’s a promise we can keep.
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