SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California can continue to set its own nation-leading vehicle emissions standards, a federal court ruled Tuesday — two years after the Biden administration restored the state’s authority to do so as part of its efforts to reverse Trump-era environmental rollbacks.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit blocked an attempt by Ohio, Alabama, Texas and other Republican-led states to revoke California’s authority to set standards that are stricter than rules set by the federal government. The court ruled that the states failed to prove how California’s emissions standards would drive up costs for gas-powered vehicles in their states.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who often touts the state’s leadership on climate policy, said the court ruling reaffirmed California’s ability to fight the public health and environmental impacts of vehicle emissions.
FEWER AMERICANS WANT TO BUY AN EV — EVEN AS BIDEN PUSHES FOR STRONGEST-EVER CLIMATE CHANGE RULES
“The clean vehicle transition is already here – it’s where the industry is going, the major automakers support our standards, and California is hitting our goals years ahead of schedule,” he said in a statement. “We won’t stop fighting to protect our communities from pollution and the climate crisis.”
Advertisement
A Chevrolet Volt hybrid car is seen charging at a ChargePoint charging station at a parking garage in Los Angeles, Oct. 17, 2018. California can continue to set its own nation-leading vehicle emissions standards, a federal court ruled Tuesday, April 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
The ruling comes ahead of a presidential election in which the outcome could determine the fate of environmental regulations in California and nationwide. Then-President Donald Trump’s administration in 2019 revoked California’s ability to enforce its own emissions standards, but President Biden later restored the state’s authority. At the federal level, Biden has pledged that zero-emission vehicles will make up half of new car and truck sales in the U.S. by 2030.
In 2022, Ohio led a coalition of states in filing a petition to attempt to block California’s ability to enforce its own vehicle emissions standards, saying it violated the U.S. Constitution and infringed upon federal government authority.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office did not respond to email and phone requests for comment on the ruling.
For decades, California has been able to seek a waiver from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to set its own vehicle emission regulations. These rules are tougher than the federal standards because California, the nation’s most populous state, has the most cars on the road and struggles to meet air quality standards. Other states can sign on to adopt California emission rules if they are approved by the federal government.
Advertisement
Challenges to California’s authority to set vehicle emissions standards date back to when George W. Bush was president in the 2000s, said Ann Carlson, an environmental law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. Carlson — who previously served as acting administrator under the Biden administration for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which sets fuel economy rules — said the federal government often follows California’s lead on vehicle emissions regulations if they end up being successful and cost-effective.
The state’s authority to set its own standards “has really kept vehicle emissions from completely stagnating,” Carlson said.
California is seeking a waiver from the federal government to ban the sale of all new gas-powered cars by 2035. Ford, Honda, Volkswagen and other major automakers already agreed to follow California vehicle emission standards. The state has also approved rules in recent years to phase out the sale of new fossil fuel-powered lawn mowers, large trucks that transport goods through ports and trains powered by diesel.
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Utah tied the record for the warmest Christmas Day in state history before the sun came up.
In the very first hour of Christmas, Salt Lake City had already tied the record for the warmest Christmas ever recorded, with temperatures hitting 59 degrees. This record was set exactly 70 years ago in 1955, according to the National Weather Service.
By the afternoon, the city is forecast to surpass the record, reaching a high of 62 degrees.
The forecast for St. George unsurprisingly shows even warmer temperatures with an expected high of 67 degrees.
Advertisement
A full rainbow was visible in Garrison, Utah, on Christmas Eve 2025. (Photo: Alicia Wheeler via KUTV Chime In)
This record-breaking weather is not surprising, as Christmas Eve also surpassed the previous recorded high, and this month marks Utah’s warmest December on record.
While there will not be snow in Utah valleys for the holiday, scattered storms are expected to bring wind and rain throughout the northern and south-eastern parts of the state, according to KUTV Meteorologist Sean Kelly. However, the Interstate 15 corridor should be relatively dry in the afternoon.
Windy conditions will blow through the state today and tomorrow, with some reaching speeds of over 50 mph.
MORE | Unseasonably warm December forces Olympic qualifying event to relocate out of Utah
Advertisement
GetAttachmentThumbnail.jpg
While fall temperatures have been stubbornly holding on into the winter, Kelly said cold temperatures could be just days away.
A cold front is forecast to reach the state by the weekend, with a possibility of snow by Saturday evening. Temperatures are also expected to drop into the twenties and thirties on Sunday and Monday, with potential highs sitting around or below freezing.
By Jake Goldstein-Street (Washington State Standard)
Advertisement
Dec. 25, 2025 4:55 p.m.
A road is covered by floodwaters after heavy rains led to historic flooding in the region Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Burlington, Wash.
Lindsey Wasson / AP
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared a public health emergency Wednesday over this month’s flooding in Washington state.
The action from Kennedy, the head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is focused on helping meet the needs of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. As part of that, his agency is providing access to HHS emPOWER, which gives data on the number of Medicare enrollees reliant on medical equipment dependent on electricity and other health care services that could make them especially vulnerable to a disaster.
Advertisement
The announcement could be a good sign for the state’s chances of getting a major disaster declaration from President Donald Trump to potentially open up tens of millions of dollars to deal with the flooding’s aftermath.
Gov. Bob Ferguson plans to ask for such a declaration in the coming weeks.
The flooding from heavy rain and overflowing rivers forced thousands of evacuations, breached multiple levees and damaged numerous highways. It still didn’t quite reach the levels some forecasts predicted. One person has been reported dead.
Kennedy’s order follows an emergency declaration from Trump that unlocked federal resources to respond to the storm.
John Knox, of the department’s Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, said in a statement that, “HHS stands ready to assist state and local response efforts in the state of Washington due to the potential health care impacts from severe storms.”
Advertisement
Health and Human Services has also waived penalties for violating federal health privacy rules under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, for hospitals.
“With today’s declaration and waiver, HHS is helping ensure that residents in the storm’s path have continuous access to the care they need during and after this storm,” Knox said. “ASPR’s highly trained personnel are prepared to support state and local actions to save lives and protect the delivery of health care services.”
The federal Disaster Distress Helpline is also available for crisis counseling. The multilingual hotline, open 24 hours a day, can be reached via call or text at 1-800-985-5990.
The declaration is retroactive to Dec. 9.
A windstorm forecast to arrive in western Washington on Wednesday could exacerbate problems, as saturated soil from the recent rain could make trees and powerline poles especially susceptible to falling over. But the wind is now not expected to be as intense as predicted earlier this week.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, Washington Attorney General Nick Brown filed a lawsuit with other states against Kennedy on Tuesday for his threats against gender-affirming care providers.
Brown called Kennedy’s move “as cruel and unnecessary as it is illegal, but consistent with an administration that puts politics above health.” It’s Washington’s 49th lawsuit against the federal government since Trump retook office in January.
Washington State Standard is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501(c)(3) public charity.
This republished story is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit opb.org/partnerships.
Sign up today for OPB’s “First Look” – your daily guide to the most important news and culture stories from around the Northwest.
(Lander, WY) – County 10 got an exclusive interview with the Man in Red himself this year, who recently stopped by the Wyoming Life Resource Center (WLRC) in Lander to spread some Christmas cheer, along with his furry elves Rylee and Aggie. Santa said that he was able to battle the Wyoming wind on his […]
