California's top environmental regulator to retire amid Trump battles

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, Sept 15 (Reuters) - California's top environmental regulator, who has helped lead the state's effort to ban the sale of gasoline-only vehicles starting in 2035, will retire on September 30 as the state spars with President Donald Trump over climate change rules.

Governor Gavin Newsom said California Air Resources Board Chair Liane Randolph, a long-time environmental official, will be replaced by Lauren Sanchez, who is senior adviser to the governor for climate.

The state's environmental plans have come under fire from President Donald Trump and California filed suit on a number of fronts over federal efforts to loosen climate change regulations. In June, he signed three resolutions approved by lawmakers barring California's electric vehicle sales mandates and diesel engine rules.

Randolph oversaw adoption of a plan laying out California’s path to carbon neutrality by 2045, cutting air pollution and efforts to boost green vehicles. EVs now account for about a quarter of all of the state's new car sales.

California's landmark plan to end the sale of gasoline-only vehicles by 2035 has been adopted by 11 other states that represent a third of the U.S. auto market. Trump has taken a series of steps to disincentivize EV sales and make it easier to sell gas-powered vehicles, including ending EV tax credits.

In August, the Trump administration sued California to stop the Air Resources Board from enforcing stringent emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks that Trump recently declared void.

The Environmental Protection Agency has also announced plans to rescind the long-standing finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health.

Randolph said that puts "polluter fantasyland over proven science. Meanwhile, back on Earth, the planet continues to suffer the consequences of unchecked carbon pollution."

Trump's Transportation Department has also canceled nearly $4.2 billion in grants for California's high-speed rail project, which is part of the state's emissions reduction plan, which California has challenged in court.