Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association v. Minnesota

The federal district court for the District of Minnesota granted the State of Minnesota’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit seeking to block the state from conducting rulemaking to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles. The court concluded that sovereign immunity barred the plaintiff’s claims; that the plaintiff—a “corporation that advocates for the interests of retail motor vehicle dealerships in Minnesota”—had not alleged facts sufficient to establish standing; and that the claims were not ripe for judicial review.

Minnesota Auto Dealers Association (MADA) filed a lawsuit in federal court in Minnesota to enjoin the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) from establishing greenhouse gas emissions standards for new vehicles and imposing quotas for zero-emission vehicle sales. Citing EPA’s withdrawal of California’s waiver for greenhouse gas vehicle emission standards and zero emission vehicle mandates and NHTSA’s 2019 preemption rule, MADA asserted that federal law expressly preempts MPCA’s December 2020 proposal to adopt California vehicle standards beginning with model year 2025.