A district court has ruled that federal law does not preempt an indirect source rule that targets emissions associated with warehouses in Southern California.

By Joshua Bledsoe, Nick Cox, and Jennifer Garlock

On December 14, 2023, a US federal judge rejected claims that federal law preempts the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s (SCAQMD or the District) adoption of Rule 2305 (Rule), upholding the first-in-the-nation Rule[1] that regulates trucking emissions from warehouses.

Rule 2305 is the Warehouse Indirect Source Rule (ISR) — Warehouse Actions and Investments to Reduce Emissions (WAIRE) Program. As described in this Latham blog post, the WAIRE Program applies to certain warehouses in the South Coast Air Basin and imposes a compliance obligation based on the number of truck visits to that warehouse per year. Warehouse operators can meet that obligation by taking any number of emissions-reducing actions, either from the “WAIRE Menu” or through a custom plan approved by the District.