‘Trump-Proofing’ California and Beyond Will Be a Political Minefield

If the people President-elect Donald Trump has nominated to lead federal agencies are to be believed, it could be a tough four years for states fighting to transition away from fossil fuels. Some of the nominees have questioned human-caused climate change, while others see the notion as a sinister plot by left-wing ideologues.

Either way, the solution put forward in policy blueprints for the incoming administration is a purge of federal officials on the front lines of the climate battle. 

As it did during Trump’s first term, California is positioning itself as a legal bulwark against any efforts to slow the state’s gameplan for reining in the fossil fuel industry and charting a path to a green future.