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The Biden administration is expected to reinstate California's authority to set stricter tail pipe emissions rules as early as Wednesday, the New York Times first reported.
Why it matters: The move would restore California's ability to be an environmental regulator after former President Trump stripped the state of that when he was in office.
- California is the largest auto market in the U.S., and transportation is the country's largest source of carbon dioxide, per Axios' Ben Geman.
The big picture: The reversal of the Trump-era rollback was expected and is part of President Biden's pledge to tackle the climate crisis.
- Environmental Protection Agency spokesperson Nick Conge told CNN on Tuesday that the EPA was "working to finalize a decision on the California waiver and we expect to issue a decision in the near future."
Flashback: California and 23 other states filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in 2019 in an effort to stop the rollback.
What they're saying: "Reinstating the California waiver means that seventeen states and the District of Columbia, representing more than 120 million people and over one-third of the automotive market, can once again exercise their right to safeguard communities from transportation pollution," the nonprofit Earthjustice said in an emailed statement.
- Representatives for the EPA did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.