The Trump regime recently moved to eliminate California's legal authority to set its own fuel economy standards for vehicles sold in the state and while that may seem like a position that is hostile to environmental regulation (it is), that doesn't mean the Trump regime is unwilling to use environmental regulation against the state.
Just a week after initially announcing the assault on California's fuel economy standards, Trump's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is threatening the state over its smog problem.
The letter from EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler to California’s chief air quality regulator accused the state of having failed for decades to take required steps under the Clean Air Act, specifically allowing a backlog of more than 130 inactive smog-reduction plans to accumulate. [...]
Wheeler warned that if California did not withdraw its “backlogged and unapprovable” reports and work with the EPA to develop new ones, the administration could hand down sanctions that would mean cuts to highway funding and allow the federal government to impose its own restrictions.
A senior EPA official, speaking in a conference call with reporters on condition of anonymity, insisted the move was unrelated to the administration’s revocation of California’s car emissions waiver and was only meant to bring California into compliance with federal smog standards.
And what better way to reduce smog than to increase fuel economy standards for the millions of cars and trucks that clog California's highways?
The state's Air Resources Board chairwoman, Mary Nichols, responded to the EPA's threat by pointing out that high fuel economy standards are needed to fight smog. EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler responded to Nichols by saying smog is the state's own problem. And, I mean, no shit? That's the whole point!
Any reasonable person could look at the Trump regime's actions and infer that the goal is not responsible stewardship of the environment or even necessarily to promote the interest of businesses that are actually are on state's side.
The only clear goal here is to fuck with California.
You know, to own the libs.