California Drops 72nd Lawsuit Against Trump Over Clean Air Rules

California Attorney General Rob Bonta isn’t backing down. On Monday, the state filed its 72nd lawsuit against the Trump administration—this time over clean air standards that have defined California’s environmental approach for decades.

The fight centers on four clean air waivers the EPA sent to Congress earlier this month for possible repeal. These aren’t minor tweaks. We’re talking about California’s Advanced Clean Cars program, which sets emissions standards for automakers, plus rules governing lawn and garden equipment that encourage electric tools over gas-powered alternatives. The EPA’s reasoning? They’re too expensive and stricter than federal requirements.

Here’s where Bonta draws the line. He argues these clean air waivers are orders, not rules—a legal distinction that matters enormously. Sending them to Congress for reversal, he contends, violates federal law. More pointedly, Bonta took aim at the Trump administration’s cost argument. It’s a curious complaint from an administration that spiked gas prices through international conflict, failed to enforce anti-monopoly laws allowing corporate consolidation, and imposed what Bonta calls two sets of unlawful tariffs that jacked up consumer prices. The irony of lecturing California about affordability, Bonta suggested, rings hollow at best.

The EPA declined to comment, citing its longstanding policy of not engaging on pending litigation. But the numbers speak for themselves: California has now challenged this administration 72 times. And according to Bonta, his office boasts an 80% success rate in federal lawsuits, though that figure is still being verified.

For Sacramento and the broader California region, this lawsuit represents the latest chapter in a long environmental battle. The state’s ability to set its own emissions standards has been a cornerstone of climate policy for decades. Whether that authority survives the next round in court could reshape everything from what cars roll off dealership lots to what equipment landscape crews use in your neighborhood.