California’s authority to set tougher emissions standards stretches back to the 1960s, when the state created its own air resources board to combat severe smog long before the EPA existed. The 1970 Clean Air Act granted California a unique waiver, recognizing its leadership and its urgent pollution challenges. This special power allowed the state to push cleaner fuels, stricter vehicle standards, and eventually zero-emission mandates that influenced national policy and inspired more than a dozen states to follow its lead. Supporters argue that California’s rules have saved lives and driven technological breakthroughs that reshaped entire industries.

But that authority is now under direct political attack. Backed by heavy lobbying from major oil companies, federal lawmakers are attempting to roll back California’s waiver — a move that tech companies, EV manufacturers, and environmental groups warn would cripple innovation and worsen pollution in communities already hit hardest. California is gearing up to sue, setting the stage for a historic legal battle that could reach the Supreme Court. The outcome will determine not only the future of U.S. climate policy, but also the balance of federal and state power for decades to come.