‘Trump Traffic Jam’: Republicans Slash Popular Clean Air Carpool Lane Program

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom Sept. 10 announced there will be more traffic and more smog is on its way to California, thanks to Trump and the Republican-led Congress.

Starting Sept. 30, California drivers with the Clean Air Vehicle or CAV decal will no longer be able to use carpool lanes without meeting vehicle occupancy requirements because the Trump administration and Congress decided to let the program sunset. California and other states’ ability to continue their decal programs relies on the federal government to extend the program, which has enjoyed broad bipartisan support in the past. 

The decals represented an additional incentive for drivers to make the switch to cleaner cars because they offered access to carpool lanes. The misguided decision to let this program lapse eliminates the successful program that has driven innovation in California and reduced air pollution at virtually no cost to taxpayers. 

Frequently Asked Questions: https://tinyurl.com/Clean-Air-Vehicle-Decals 

The Trump administration is ending the CAV decal regulations at midnight on Sept. 30, 2025. All CAV decals will be invalid starting Oct. 1, 2025, and every vehicle, regardless of whether it is a hybrid or ZEV, must follow posted vehicle occupancy requirements. The DMV stopped processing CAV decal applications on Aug.t 29 and notified the public.

Last year, Gov. Newsom signed a Republican-sponsored bill that extended California’s CAV decal program under state law, AB 2678 (Wallis, 2024). However, without action by Congress, California was stripped of its authority to keep the bipartisan CAV program alive – even though Congress extended the program in a Republican-sponsored bill with bipartisan support only a decade ago.

Air pollution is a silent killer that causes heart and lung diseases, and cancer. Over the last 50 years, the state’s clean air efforts have saved $250 billion in health costs through reduced illness including reducing diesel-related cancer risk nearly 80%. 

California’s clean car record

• Around 1 in 4 new cars sold in California are ZEVs, according to the California Energy Commission – with the state hitting its goal of two million ZEVs ahead of schedule.
• 56 ZEV and ZEV-related manufacturers are operating in California — leading the nation in ZEV manufacturing jobs.
• 178,000 public or shared private electric vehicle chargers have been installed throughout California – nearly 50% more chargers than gas pumps.

Details: For more information on the ending of the CAV decal program, click here.