President Donald Trump targeted California environmental policies with executive orders to revoke the the state’s electric vehicle sales mandate and weaken protections for fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, setting the stage for legal battles.

Gov. Gavin Newsom condemned Trump’s flurry of orders to dismantle former President Joe Biden’s climate and clean energy agenda, including withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Agreement following the hottest year in recorded history.

“If you don’t believe in science, believe your own damn eyes,” said Newsom speaking from Los Angeles where authorities are still battling devastating fires. Trump is expected to visit the Los Angeles region on Friday.

Trump’s order attempts to withdraw California’s waiver authority that allowed the state to phase out new gas-powered car sales by 2035, a policy that 12 other states have adopted since it was passed in 2022.

California has the unique ability to set tailpipe emissions standards under the Clean Air Act that are stricter than federal rules once it gets permission through a waiver. Revoking that authority likely requires lengthy administrative processes and long court battles.

Trump’s other order targeting California is to “route more water” from the Delta to the Central Valley and Southern California and roll back protections for endangered native fish such as the Delta Smelt is also likely to see legal push back.

As experts highlighted, the order demonstrated a misunderstanding of the state’s complex water delivery system. Environmental protections for smelt and salmon do limit water extractions, but they are not the primary cause of scarcity in the Los Angeles area.

Taken together, the executive orders leave California’s air pollution waiver authority in a weaker position. Last week, the state withdrew two of its eight bids for federal permission to enforce stricter-than federal transportation emissions rules.

But state leaders have been preparing for this moment for months, working to cement the state’s international climate diplomacy and focusing on state policies that lack federal involvement, such as cap-and-trade.

Lawmakers are also in the midst of a special session to approve funding for Attorney General Rob Bonta to fight Trump in the court system. Environmental groups are also gearing up to defend California’s water and electric vehicle initiatives.

Kathy Harris, director for clean vehicles at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said Americans across the country want more access to clean vehicles. Any illegal change to state waivers or EV incentives will put the Trump administration in court, she said.

“Trump’s move to repeal existing standards and federal investments would be a huge blow to the U.S. auto industry and bad news for American drivers,” she said in a statement. “Fat-cat oil executives are the only ones cracking open the champagne about this one.”

On water, Trump’s claims that fish protections in the Delta cause water shortages drew condemnation from advocates who pointed to climate-driven drought and infrastructure constraints. His messaging mirrors that of Central Valley agricultural titans.

“The president is once again choosing to ignore science and attack California’s communities and ecosystems for political gain,” said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta. “The directive to ‘put people over fish’ grossly misrepresents the reality of California’s water system and the needs of its residents.”

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