The Trump administration’s failure to extend a California program which provides a decal for vehicles meeting certain emissions standards to travel in carpool lanes will impact 500,000 drivers in the state, according to authorities.
Under the state’s Clean Air Vehicle (CAV) decal, single-occupant low- and zero-emission vehicles—including many hybrid and fully electric cars—were able to access high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. But as of October 1, Californians traveling solo will no longer be able to drive on the HOV lanes, even if their vehicles have a small impact on the environment.
What Is The CAV Decal Program?
The program, which was available to California under federal law since 2019, was created to incentivize drivers in the state to purchase and use low- and zero-emission vehicles and lower their impact on the environment, in exchange for a faster commute.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) announced that decals will no longer be valid as of October 1, and no new HOV stickers will be issued after that date. The last day that California drivers with a CAV decal will be able to drive on a carpool lane will be September 30—no matter when the decal was issued.
Any driver found traveling solo on the carpool lane after that date risks receiving a hefty fine.
Why Is The Program Ending?
The Trump administration failed to extend Section 166 of Title 23 of the United States Code, under which California—and any other state in the union—were allowed to introduce programs such as the CAV decal one. Without this extension, California could not continue with the program, even though last year it tried to sign a state law—AB 2678—that would allow it to do so.
Similar programs will also end in 13 other Democratic- and Republican-led states across the country on the same date as in California.
The California DMV expressed regret over the ending of the program. “This is a great program for climate-conscious Californians,” said Director Steve Gordon in a press release. “We have issued over one million decals since this program was approved, which has helped to foster a change in how we drive,” he added.
“Californians are committed to lowering their carbon footprint and these decals helped drivers be good stewards of our highways and environment. By taking away this program, hundreds of thousands of California’s drivers will pay the price. It’s a lose-lose and we urge the federal government to retain this program.”
What Does This Mean For Californians?
Californians relying on the carpool lane for a faster commute will likely face delays—especially those moving around Los Angeles, the second-worst place in the nation for traffic after Washington, D.C. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has described the chaos that could ensue from the end of the program as the “Trump traffic jam.”
In a recent press release, the governor said: “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.”
The end of the program could also disincentivize new purchases of electric and hybrid vehicles, a market that the state has been cultivating and boosting for years now.
According to the California Energy Commission, around 1 in 4 new cars sold in California are currently zero-emission vehicles, and the clean emission vehicle industry provides hundreds of jobs in the state, with 56 zero-emission vehicles and related manufacturers.
This, in turn, could lead to an increase in air pollution in the state, which the governor said has been significantly reduced in recent years thanks in part to programs like the CAV decal one.
Clean air regulations have become the latest battleground between the Trump administration and Newsom, adding to a tumultuous year marked by clashes over California’s independence from federal policy. In June, the Golden State sued the Trump administration over its attempt to revoke California’s clean air policies.
For California, the issue of air pollution is an urgent one. Five of the ten cities with the worst year-round air pollution in the country are in the Golden State, according to the American Lung Association, including Bakersfield, Visalia, Fresno, Los Angeles, and San Jose. This means that millions of people living in these areas are more likely to suffer from asthma and other respiratory conditions such as cardiopulmonary disease.
According to Newsom’s office, the state’s clean air efforts have saved $250 billion in health costs through reduced illness, including reducing diesel-related cancer risk nearly 80 percent, over the last 50 years.
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