John R. Lawson Rock & Oil, Inc. v. California Air Resources Board

A California Superior Court ruled in favor of the challengers to amendments adopted in 2014 to the 2010 emissions standards for on-road heavy duty diesel vehicles. The amendments allowed small fleets of trucks and low-use vehicles extra time to come into compliance with the standards. The court held that CARB had engaged in post hoc environmental review by approving the amendments before it finished its CEQA review. The court also found that there was substantial evidence supporting a fair argument that the amendments would have a significant effect on the environment, including on criteria pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions. The court said that CARB used an improper baseline when it used existing environmental conditions and ignored the 2010 regulations.