After Attorney General Becerra Files Suit, Trump Administration Backs Down, Will Implement Measure to Tackle Greenhouse Gas Emissions

SACRAMENTO — California Attorney General Xavier Becerra issued the following statement after the Trump Administration today reversed course and decided to immediately implement the Greenhouse Gas Performance Measure that it had unlawfully delayed. The Greenhouse Gas Performance Measure requires all states to measure and track on-road greenhouse gas emissions, set locally-appropriate performance targets, and ensure consistency in data collection. The transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

“Last week, I led a coalition of eight attorneys general and the California Air Resources Board in suing the Trump Administration for attempting to skirt the law and delay implementation of the Greenhouse Gas Performance Measure. Today, the Trump Administration backed down and will now implement the Measure as is legally required. This is a victory for the American people and will help us tackle climate change, the most important global environmental issue of our time.

“Climate change is real. If President Trump is not prepared to admit it or to do his job of protecting our families by enforcing our environmental rules, then I'm prepared as Attorney General to call his bluff.”