‘Trump traffic jam’: Republicans slash popular clean air carpool lane program

What you need to know: The Trump administration and Republican Congress's failure to extend the federal Clean Air Vehicle (CAV) decal program means California drivers with these decals will lose carpool lane access starting September 30, along with drivers in 13 other red and blue states with similar programs across the country. This decision eliminates a highly successful program that incentivized cleaner cars and reduced air pollution.

SACRAMENTO - More traffic and more smog is on its way to California, thanks to Trump and the Republican-led Congress.

Starting September 30, California drivers with the Clean Air Vehicle (CAV) decal will no longer be able to use carpool lanes without meeting vehicle occupancy requirements because the Trump administration and Congress decided to let the program sunset. California and other states' ability to continue their decal programs relies on the federal government to extend the program, which has enjoyed broad bipartisan support in the past.

The decals represented an additional incentive for drivers to make the switch to cleaner cars because they offered access to carpool lanes. The misguided decision to let this program lapse eliminates the wildly successful program that has driven innovation in California and reduced air pollution at virtually no cost to taxpayers.

A Trump traffic jam is on its way to California and other states - all because Republicans in Congress decided to let a wildly successful bipartisan program expire. That's Trump's America: more traffic, more smog and a government more committed to slashing proven programs than solving real problems.

Governor Gavin Newsom

The Trump administration is ending the CAV decal regulations at midnight on September 30, 2025. All CAV decals will be invalid starting October 1, 2025, and every vehicle, regardless of whether it is a hybrid or ZEV, must follow posted vehicle occupancy requirements. The DMV stopped processing CAV decal applications on August 29 and notified the public.

Last year, Governor Newsom signed a Republican-sponsored bill that extended California's CAV decal program under state law, AB 2678 (Wallis, 2024). However, without action by Congress, California was stripped of its authority to keep the bipartisan CAV program alive - even though Congress extended the program in a Republican-sponsored bill with bipartisan support only a decade ago.

Decades of cleaning our air

This is just the latest move by the Trump administration and this Republican-controlled Congress to assault California's ability to clean its air. The state sued the Trump administration in June after President Trump signed illegal resolutions targeting California's clean vehicles program.

Although California standards have dramatically improved air quality, the state's unique geography means air quality goals still require continued progress on vehicle emissions. Five of the ten cities with the worst air pollution nationwide are in California. Ten million Californians in the San Joaquin Valley and Los Angeles air basins currently live under what is known as "severe nonattainment" conditions for ozone. People in these areas suffer unusually high rates of asthma and cardiopulmonary disease. Clean cars are a critical part of the plan to protect Californians.

Air pollution is a silent killer that causes heart and lung diseases, and cancer. Over the last 50 years, the state's clean air efforts have saved $250 billion in health costs through reduced illness including reducing diesel-related cancer risk nearly 80%.

California's clean car record

• Around 1 in 4 new cars sold in California are ZEVs, according to the California Energy Commission - with the state hitting its goal of two million ZEVs ahead of schedule.
• 56 ZEV and ZEV-related manufacturers are operating in California - leading the nation in ZEV manufacturing jobs.
• 178,000 public or shared private electric vehicle chargers have been installed throughout California - nearly 50% more chargers than gas pumps.