As President Biden today formally heralded a goal of halving the United States' greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, two agencies are proceeding on a tag-team approach to restoring California's traditional authority to set its own stricter tailpipe emission standards. The move is in lockstep with Biden's climate goals given that cars and trucks are collectively the single greatest source of greenhouse gas releases in the U.S. On Tuesday, the White House regulations office completed a routine review of a proposed National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rule related to preemption of states' freedom to set those standards, according to a government tracking website. That step clears the way for the proposal's public release. While a NHTSA spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment today, POLITICO reported that it would find that the federal government's authority to set vehicle emissions standards does not preempt that of California. At EPA, spokesman Nick Conger said in an email that the agency remains on track to make an announcement about California's Clean Air Act waiver by month's end.
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