President-elect Trump isn't in office yet, but California Gov. Gavin Newsom is already planning to counter an expected move on electric vehicles. On Monday, Newsom promised that if Trump killed the $7,500 federal rebate to buyers of EVs, California would restore it for state residents, reports the Los Angeles Times. "We will intervene if the Trump Administration eliminates the federal tax credit, doubling down on our commitment to clean air and green jobs in California," Newsom said in a statement.
The governor said the state would revive its Clean Vehicle Rebate Program, which began in 2010 but was phased out last year, per the San Francisco Chronicle. California has been the most aggressive state in regard to EVs, with a law requiring that all new cars and light trucks be zero-admission by 2035. The New York Times notes that Trump is expected to try to block California from instituting standards stricter than federal ones, as he did during his first administration. California sued the White House more than 120 times in those four years, and similar battle lines are being drawn for his second term. (More Gavin Newsom stories.)