WA adopted CA’s 2035 electric-vehicle requirements. Trump just overturned them

President Donald Trump on Thursday acted to overturn California’s electric-vehicle rules that sought to stop the sale of new gasoline-only cars by 2035.

The ripple effects have reached Washington, which is one of several states that have adopted California’s vehicle-emissions standards.

On Thursday, Trump condemned California’s regulations as “crazy” at a ceremony where he signed a trio of resolutions blocking efforts to accelerate the adoption of electric cars.

“It’s been a disaster for this country,” he said.

Soon after, a group of 11 states filed suit in U.S. District Court in northern California challenging the repeal of the electric-vehicle rules. Washington joined the California-led effort.

Washington Attorney General Nick Brown noted in a statement to McClatchy that transportation is the largest contributor to greenhouse-gas pollution in the state. He said residents know the transition to zero-emission cars is crucial in combating climate change.

“This is the Trump administration’s latest unlawful attempt to derail Washington’s and the nation’s transition to a clean future,” Brown said.

Reached for comment, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said that this isn’t “the United States of California.”

“Americans didn’t vote for our auto and trucking industries to be destroyed by California’s EV mandate — they voted for President Trump to roll back radical climate regulations and restore commonsense and consumer choice,” Rogers said via email.

Thursday marks another escalation in tension between California and Trump, who recently sent National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles to stifle protests over his administration’s immigration enforcement. Last week, Brown appeared with the California and Oregon attorneys general in sharply criticizing Trump at a Seattle town hall event.

Former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee took aim at Trump in a post on X, saying that Trump is unlawfully attempting to halt EV progress in Washington.

“Why should Washington state have to slow down and wait for Mississippi?” he wrote.

McClatchy reached out to Gov. Bob Ferguson’s office seeking comment but did not receive a response.

U.S. Rep. Michael Baumgartner, a Washington Republican, said in a post on X that the “totally unworkable California and Washington electric truck mandate” would have tanked the state’s economy and raised inflation.

“Big rigs can’t run on unicorn laughter and rainbows — they need a realistic fuel source,” Baumgartner wrote. “Bad day for Jay Inslee, good day for America.”

Washington trucking industry applauds federal move

News of the regulations rollback prompted applause from the Washington Trucking Association. The WTA explained that the state had agreed to use California’s Advanced Clean Trucks regulations for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, which pushes manufacturers to sell greater percentages of zero-emission vehicles.

The association noted that Washington is now effectively detached from California’s stricter rules, making the state subject to the federal Clean Air Act.

WTA President and CEO Sheri Call described California’s EV trucking regulations as a “disaster” for Washington, arguing that they’ve inflicted serious harm on her industry. She said Washington doesn’t have the requisite infrastructure ready, and technology hasn’t evolved to adequately support the trucking industry’s rapid move to clean energy.

She said the mandates foisted unreasonable requirements onto sellers and manufacturers, also driving up costs for businesses.

“Today’s federal action infuses some much-needed common sense into what is a very challenging and unreasonable regulatory environment,” Call said.

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents companies including Toyota and General Motors, also praised Trump’s move. They’d argued that California’s rules would hamper consumer choice and harm the auto industry at large.

State Sen. Matt Boehnke, a Kennewick Republican, introduced a bill this past session that would have returned Washington to federal vehicle-emissions standards. In a Thursday call, he emphasized the importance of giving people options when buying cars; some might want to purchase electric vehicles while others might prefer older technologies, he said.

“I’m excited that this will give us more options to keep manufacturers in the state, to keep jobs in our state,” Boehnke said. “And I’m really looking forward to labor unions coming on board and supporting some of these efforts as well.”

Department of Ecology raises concerns

Yet many others have serious concerns about the reversal.

The Washington state Department of Ecology said via email Thursday that the agency had already put a temporary pause on such standards following actions by Congress to revoke California’s emissions rules. The pause was aimed at granting automakers “as much certainty as possible as we work through those issues,” department communications manager Caroline Halter said.

California’s standards surrounding cars and light-duty trucks require that by 2035, 100% of new vehicles sold must run on zero-emission technology, she said. But the standards for commercial vehicles, such as semitrucks and delivery vans, still allow new diesel-powered sales of those cars in the state even after 2035.

Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller said in a June 6 statement that Congress’ rollback creates uncertainty for consumers, manufacturers and states at a time when progress has been made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. He also said it erodes states’ rights and will have adverse effects on public health.

On Thursday, Sixkiller said the state won’t slow down on its clean-vehicle progress. Residents are experiencing climate change manifest in sea-level rise, wildfires, flooding and droughts, he added.

“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,” he said in a June 12 news release. “At a time of great uncertainty, that’s a promise we can keep.”

This story was originally published June 13, 2025 at 11:54 AM.

Simone Carter

The Olympian

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