In a 7-2 decision issued on June 20, 2025, the Supreme Court held that fuel producers have standing to challenge EPA’s 2022 approval of California’s vehicle emissions standards waiver. Writing for the majority in Diamond Alternative Energy v. EPA, Justice Kavanaugh stated that the fuel petitioners meet the test for standing based largely on alleged economic impacts to fuel companies caused by reduced reliance on gasoline. This decision reverses the D.C. Circuit’s 2024 ruling that fuel producers lack standing to challenge the waiver decision and remands the case to the D.C. Circuit. In a sharp dissent, Justice Jackson criticizes the majority, arguing that “[t]his case gives fodder to the unfortunate perception that moneyed interests enjoy an easier road to relief in this Court than ordinary citizens.”
Read our quick take to learn more about the decision, how this case ended up in the Supreme Court, and how California’s vehicle standards work.