Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has closed the file on California's request for a waiver related to its Advanced Clean Fleets regulation. This development comes after California withdrew its waiver request, which sought to impose an electric-truck mandate on fleet owners, operators, and manufacturers.
Attorney General Marshall commented on the situation, stating, "The fanciful policies of California will never work in Alabama. There is no way that every small business that works in California could afford electric trucks, some of which cost $400,000, not to mention the cost to install charging stations and the costs of maintenance." He further emphasized his stance against California's regulatory efforts by adding, "My colleagues and I will always step in when California attempts to mandate nationwide compliance with its radical, unworkable, and destructive policies."
In September 2024, Marshall joined a coalition of 24 states in filing a formal comment letter with the EPA opposing California's waiver request. The Advanced Clean Fleets regulation aimed to enforce an electric-truck mandate even for trucking companies operating minimally within California. According to federal law under the Clean Air Act, such regulations require a waiver from the EPA.
California's withdrawal followed a series of granted requests from other states earlier this month but left its Advanced Clean Fleets request unresolved. In response to these developments, Marshall noted his anticipation for future leadership changes by saying, "Thankfully, reason and the rule of law prevailed this time, and in less than a week we will have President Trump back in office with an administration that would never even consider such an expansive request by a state."
The coalition opposing California's regulation included attorneys general from Nebraska leading alongside Alabama and representatives from Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Virginia West Virginia and Wyoming.