WASHINGTON _ The Trump administration is suing California for entering into a cap and trade agreement with the Canadian province of Quebec.
The lawsuit from the Department of Justice, announced Wednesday, also names the California Air Resources Board and the nonprofit corporation Western Climate Initiative Inc.
"The state of California has veered outside of its proper constitutional lane to enter into an international emissions agreement. The power to enter into such agreements is reserved to the federal government, which must be able to speak with one voice in the area of U.S. foreign policy," said Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Bossert Clark of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division in a release.
"California's unlawful cap-and-trade agreement with Quebec undermines the President's ability to negotiate competitive agreements with other nations, as the President sees fit," Clark added.
California's cap-and-trade program requires companies to buy permits to release emissions into the atmosphere. It has been a key component of the state's leadership in the fight against global warming and greenhouse gas emissions.
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