WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Climate Alliance — a bipartisan coalition of governors representing approximately 60 percent of the U.S. economy and 55 percent of the U.S. population — today issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decision to grant two requests for waivers of preemption regarding four California Air Resource Board (CARB) regulations related to California’s heavy-duty vehicle and engine emission standards:
“For years, Alliance states and territories have been accelerating climate action across America and this decision reaffirms their authority to continue to go further, faster to curb harmful heavy-duty truck pollution,” said Alliance Executive Director Casey Katims. “Getting more clean, zero-emission trucks on our roads will save lives, create new jobs, and ensure communities breathe cleaner air.”
Earlier this year, the Alliance called on the Biden administration to move swiftly on more than 20 specific federal climate actions, including approval of California’s waiver requests, to help speed America’s net-zero transition. To learn more about today’s action from EPA, see here.
Launched in 2017 by the governors of Washington, New York, and California to help fill the void left by the U.S. federal government’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, the Alliance has grown to include 24 governors from across the U.S. representing approximately 60 percent of the U.S. economy and 55 percent of the U.S. population. Governors in the Alliance have pledged to collectively reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 26-28 percent by 2025, 50-52 percent by 2030, and 61-66 percent by 2035, all below 2005 levels, and collectively achieve overall net-zero greenhouse gas emissions as soon as practicable, and no later than 2050.
The Alliance’s states and territories continue to advance innovative and impactful climate solutions to grow the economy, create jobs, and protect public health, and have a long record of action and results. In fact, the latest data shows that as of 2023, the Alliance has reduced its collective net greenhouse gas emissions by 24 percent below 2005 levels, while increasing collective GDP by 34 percent, and is on track to meet its near-term climate goal of reducing collective greenhouse gas emissions 26 percent below 2005 levels by 2025.
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