Trump administration officials threatened this week to withhold federal highway funds from California, arguing that it had failed to show what steps it is taking to improve its air quality. The move by the Environmental Protection Agency escalates the fierce battle between President Trump and the left-leaning state, and could put billions in federal funds in jeopardy.
In a predated letter sent late Monday to the California Air Resources Board, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler suggested that the state “has failed to carry out its most basic tasks under the Clean Air Act,” and needs to either update its plans to tackle air pollution or risk losing federal highway funds.
At stake, the EPA said, are billions of dollars in federal highway funding every year. Federal officials have the right to halt that money if they determine a state is not taking sufficient steps to show how it aims to cut air pollution such as soot or smog-forming ozone.