Alejandro Lazo

Proposed legislation hasn’t moved out of the state Assembly or Senate, raising questions about how far California will go in its efforts to make oil and gas companies pay for climate damage.

Trump ordered his attorney general to move against state climate programs that clash with his energy agenda. Legal experts say his claims about the laws being unconstitutional are an overreach.

California and other states and counties are using a legal strategy that took down Big Tobacco, hoping to make fossil fuel companies pay for damage they have long denied. But many obstacles remain.

About a quarter — 25.3% — of all new cars registered in California in 2024 were electric cars, compared with 25% in 2023. The flat sales follow several years of rapid growth, and sales are still far below the state’s 35% target.

Because Trump is unlikely to approve them, California officials say they had no choice but to abandon the state's groundbreaking rules for zero-emission trucks and cleaner locomotives.

The US EPA granted California’s waiver, which the incoming Trump administration is likely to try to overturn in the courts. The state’s zero-emission vehicle mandates have been the driving force behind California’s progress in cleaning up dangerous air pollutants.

The Supreme Court justices agreed to review whether oil companies have standing to try to overturn a federal waiver for a California clean-car rule that ramped up electric car sales. The standards are the cornerstone of California’s efforts to clean its air and combat climate change.

After utility equipment sparked tragic wildfires, PG&E, SCE and SDG&E received state approval to collect $27 billion from ratepayers. As California electric bills soar, questions have emerged about oversight and costs.

A lot is at stake with the new Trump administration: California’s water projects, its unique authority to clean its air, federal support for offshore wind and disaster aid for wildfires.

California voters approved Prop. 4’s $10 billion in bonds for environmental projects, with about $2 billion going toward protecting drinking water.

The state air board will vote on changes to its landmark clean fuel program that would cut more greenhouse gases but could raise the cost of gas and diesel.

Capturing and storing carbon underground is a big part of California’s efforts to tackle climate change but community members and environmentalists say it prolongs the life of fossil fuels.