California Gov. Gavin Newsom is seen alongside congested traffic amid his push to phase out gas-powered vehicles — a move now facing pushback from Texas officials and the Trump administration. (Getty Images)
Texas' motion to intervene, filed Friday with the United States District Court for the Northern District of California Oakland Division, asks the court to allow Texas to become a party to the case so it can defend the interests of Texans, which state Attorney General Ken Paxton and AFL say would be impacted by California's attempt to impose strict electric vehicle mandates that can have an effect on the rest of the country.
"I am standing with President Trump in his effort to stop Gavin Newsom and California from shoving its insane so-called ‘green energy’ vehicle standards down the nation’s throat," said Paxton. "Texas will not look the other way while the failed state of California undermines our sovereignty, attacks America’s energy independence, and intentionally adopts destructive policies that would harm the other States."
Currently, 17 other states and the District of Columbia have chosen to adopt at least part of California's vehicle emissions standards, according to a report released this month by the California Air Resources Board. The same report notes that, collectively, these states represent 40% of the nation's light-duty vehicle market, and 25% of its heavy-duty vehicle market.
Ken Paxton, with America First Legal, is taking legal action to halt California from implementing strict vehicle emissions mandates that they argue could impact the whole country. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In addition to the state of Texas, a major pro-business group, the American Free Enterprise Chamber of Commerce (AmFree), has also taken action to intervene in the case on the side of the Trump administration, with several agricultural and trade organizations backing the move.
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"It's clear this is not one of those issues that is like 'the Trump administration doing something completely novel' and 'courts having to wrestle with that,'" said Michael Buschbacher, the lead attorney working with AmFree. "This is like squarely, ‘Congress passed the law. You can't undo that law unless it's unconstitutional and there's nothing unconstitutional here.'"
Fox News Digital reached out to Gov. Newsom's office for comment, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Fox News Digital's Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/texas-challenges-newsoms-gas-car-crackdown-warning-california-cant-dictate-us-auto-market