States Must Step Up

Read what UCS experts expect from the second Trump administration on climate and energy, food and agriculture, global security, science and democracy, and transportation.

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Louis Brandeis was the first to call states the laboratories of democracy. States have unique power in our federalist system to advance change. Indeed, UCS’ state-based strategies have focused on advancing some of the most innovative policies at the state scale, including cap and trade and zero-emission vehicle standards. Both have subsequently been adopted widely. 

For the past four years, states like California have benefited from federal leadership that has made historic investments in climate action, clean energy, water, and clean transportation. We knew we could rely on the federal government to grant California regulators the ability to pass forward-looking policies necessary to make our air breathable. 

Contrast that with what we experienced in President Trump’s first term: more than 200 documented attacks on science by the administration, total disregard for the need for climate action, the sidelining of science during the pandemic that resulted in people being hurt, prioritizing the interests of polluters, and doors previously open to ambitious state regulations slammed shut. 

It’s about to get tough again for state leaders focused on the forward-looking climate, energy, water, transportation, food, and security policies that President-elect Trump and Project 2025 are seeking to dismantle and defund. But there is still progress to be made. As my UCS colleague in California, Don Anair, notes: even during the first Trump administration, there were successes in California for climate, clean energy, and clean transportation.

States must go all in on offense

Fortunately, California continues to have a governor and legislative leadership who understand the importance of driving down emissions, protecting frontline communities, and transitioning away from fossil fuels as quickly and equitably as possible.

While our colleagues and partners in Washington, DC, will be playing tough defense on the issues we care about—like fighting attacks on federal science and scientists, opposing anti-science federal nominees, defending regulations that protect health and safety for people across the US—states like California will have to go all in on offense. 

Here in California, advocacy organizations like UCS will need to look for new funding sources for the investments our climate and communities desperately need. We will need to find creative solutions to transition away from combustion vehicles without the certainty of our vehicle regulations. We will have to develop clean energy, ensure communities have access to safe and affordable drinking water, build out electric vehicle charging infrastructure, transition irrigated land to more sustainable uses, and much more—all with an oppositional force in the White House. 

Across the Western states, UCS has worked hard for years to have a robust presence and partnerships with many allied stakeholders who will help us pass policies. I am confident we can show the country and the world that a way forward on the issues we care the most about is still imminently possible.   

Now, more than ever, states must step up.

California can continue to lead

UCS will continue to prioritize work in California. The state continues to be the fifth largest economy in the world and an international leader on climate change. During the Biden-Harris administration, UCS was able to drive important change in the Western States, and we will continue to do so. 

• At the California Air Resources Board (CARB), we will continue to push for the most health protective transportation regulations possible, proving to the nation that a zero-emission vehicle transition is possible. 
• At the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) we will continue to ensure that utilities are planning for 100% clean energy by 2045. 
• At the California Energy Commission (CEC), we will work to plan for an integrated clean energy and transportation future that includes bidirectional electric vehicles. 
• And at the State Water Board we will ensure that groundwater is protected and water rights are appropriately tracked and enforced.
• At the legislature, with the help of Governor Newsom, we will pass legislation to remove barriers to clean energy deployment, protect scientists from political interference, transition away from fossil fuels in the transportation and energy sectors, and give all Californians access to safe and affordable drinking water. 

While we expect the second Trump administration will do its best to put up roadblocks and barriers all along the way to California’s efforts, UCS will continue to advance science-based solutions at the state scale for a safer and healthier world.