All posts tagged "clean air act"

Trump admin to stop enforcing certain criminal Clean Air Act cases

The Trump administration Wednesday announced it would stop enforcing certain criminal violations of the Clean Air Act.

The move signals President Donald Trump and his administration's latest action to pull back previous environmental protections under the federal law that regulates air emissions and pollution.

"Today, @TheJusticeDept is exercising its enforcement discretion to no longer pursue criminal charges under the Clean Air Act based on allegations of tampering with onboard diagnostic devices in motor vehicles," the DOJ Environment and Natural Resources Division wrote in a statement on X.

"DOJ is committed to sound enforcement principles, efficient use of government resources, and avoiding overcriminalization of federal environmental law. In partnership with the @EPA, DOJ will still pursue civil enforcement for these violations when appropriate," the agency wrote.

The Clean Air Act is landmark federal legislation originally enacted in 1970 and substantially amended in 1990, designed to regulate air pollution and protect public health by establishing national air quality standards and emissions limits for various pollutants. The law created the framework for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set and enforce air pollution standards, required states to develop implementation plans to meet those standards and established regulations for stationary sources such as power plants and industrial facilities, as well as mobile sources like automobiles. It has been considered one of the most significant environmental protection laws in U.S. history.

Supreme Court liberal delivers blistering dissent after hit to its 'reputation'

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson berated her colleagues Friday for a ruling she claimed gave the impression that the Court was "overly sympathetic to corporate interests," The Daily Beast reported.

Jackson's takedown came after the conservative court voted 7-2 in favor of "allowing fuel producers to challenge California’s heightened emissions limits."

California set stricter standards for emissions than the federal government laid out in the Clean Air Act, the article stated. And, in 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) moved toward phasing out the sale of gas-powered cars "in favor of zero-emission vehicles statewide by 2035."

The Supreme Court ruling now allows fossil fuel companies to challenge the California emissions law that Donald Trump called a “disaster for this country," according to the report.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor joined Jackson in the dissent.

“This case gives fodder to the unfortunate perception that moneyed interests enjoy an easier road to relief in this Court than ordinary citizens,” Jackson wrote. “I worry that the fuel industry’s gain comes at a reputational cost for this Court, which is already viewed by many as being overly sympathetic to corporate interests.”

Jackson said she did not doubt the ruling would "aid future attempts by the fuel industry to attack the Clean Air Act.”

The Daily Beast's Paula Rodriguez wrote that the case "marks the latest of several to garner accusations that the conservative-majority court favors corporate interests." In 2024, the court overturned a 1984 decision known as the Chevron Defense, which also concerned the Clean Air Act. The court’s new ruling undid a policy that gave federal agencies precedence over courts in regulating their respective industries, earning praise from conservatives and condemnation from environmental activists."

Jackson's dissent continued, "Over time, such selectivity begets judicial overreach and erodes public trust in the impartiality of judicial decision making. Today’s ruling runs the risk of setting us down that path.”

Read The Daily Beast article here.

Feds crack down on ‘rolling coal’ — a troll-tastic pastime of some Trump supporters

The federal government is going after “rolling coal,” the noxious obnoxiousness favored by certain supporters of fossil fuel-loving presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Rolling coal is the illegal manipulation of emission controls allowing a diesel engine to emit thick bursts of black soot. During the Trump presidency, it became a means of harassing protesters and drivers of clean-energy cars, and generally expressing disdain for liberals.

Online videos celebrate rolling coal, but practitioners are getting a comeuppance.

Twice this month, operations with names such as Gorilla Performance and Sinister Diesel pleaded guilty in federal court to Conspiracy to Violate the Clean Air Act and agreed to $1 million fines each, according to federal records reviewed by Raw Story.

The Environmental Protection Agency has made it a “national priority” to erase what it says is “a significant contributor to air pollution.” A 2020 EPA report said 15 percent of diesel trucks in the U.S. are rigged to “delete” emissions controls.

According to government estimates, the practice can increase nitrogen oxide emissions as much as 310 times, non-methane hydrocarbons 1,400 times, and carbon monoxide 120 times.

ALSO READ: Did anyone do a damned thing to damage Trump or help themselves?

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Earlier this week, Gorilla Performance and GDP Tuning, as well as Barry Pierce, owner of the companies, pleaded guilty in Pocatello, Idaho, to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act by tampering with the emissions control system of a diesel truck.

They agreed to pay $1 million in fines. Sentencing Nov. 8 is at the discretion of the judge, who will take into account federal sentencing guidelines.

“The defendants in this case purposefully violated laws that protect air quality and the overall quality of life for Idahoans, especially vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly and those who suffer from respiratory conditions,” said Josh Hurwit, U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho. “My office will continue to partner with law enforcement agencies to prosecute those who seek illegal profits at the expense of the public’s health and our shared environment.”

Earlier this month, Sinister Diesel of California pleaded guilty to the same charge and agreed to $1 million in fines. Sentencing is Nov. 14.

“Businesses that manufacture and sell illegal devices to defeat a vehicle’s emissions controls foster pollution and risk decades of progress in curtailing harmful emissions from motor vehicles in this country,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.