MEMA has long had an office in Washington, D.C. to advocate for vehicle component manufacturers. This year that office is unquestionably working overtime.
MEMA’s Senior Manager of Regulatory Affairs Emily Sobel gave a quick rundown of all the areas where MEMA is offering guidance on behalf of its members toward President Donald J. Trump’s administration Tuesday during the association’s Commercial Vehicle Outlook Conference in Pontiac, Mich.
From regulatory amendments and rollbacks to tariff implementation rates and deadlines, 2025 has been a year of active engagement with the White House and its leadership about how its actions and decisions impact the commercial trucking space and greater economy. Sobel says MEMA has had success but has been challenged by the scope and speed of the administration’s activity.
She began Tuesday’s rundown with regulation.
Sobel says the decision by California’s Air Resources Board (CARB) to withdraw its EPA waiver request for its Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) rule in January has seemingly “set the tone for all decisions since then,” with the Trump administration continuing along that trajectory of seeking to roll back, eliminate or delay many vehicle emission regulations. Sobel says the administration made it clear on Inauguration Day that removing arduous regulatory burdens on American industry would be a priority and its actions to date have made that clear.
[RELATED: ACT’s Kenny Vieth offers 2026 trucking economic update]
While she was unable to comment on how the administration and trucking industry’s showdown with CARB over its heavy-duty regulations will turn out, Sobel did mention that despite California’s authority under the Clean Air Act to set its own regulations, the state “cannot introduce a substantially similar regulation” to one already created. Which means if CARB loses in court, it cannot resubmit its Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) or Omnibus rules at a later point to a different administration.
Sobel also touched on the Endangerment Finding, and how important removing that document is to the administration, and recent chatter around delaying the EPA’s low NOx regulations from 2027 to 2031.
MEMA's Emily Sobel says the EPA and Trump administration are following a four-step process to remove the Endangerment Finding, and the GHG regulations built upon it.MEMA
On the latter, Sobel says while a delay is possible, the NOx regs are not tied to the Endangerment Finding and would not be revoked if GHG regulations are kaput. Additionally, because the NOx rule originated during the first Trump term, she says the administration’s rhetoric around the rule is more focused on review than removal.
Sobel then turned to trade.
She says MEMA’s D.C. office has been “working tirelessly” to convey to the Trump administration the impact its tariff policy has on the industry’s supply chain — particularly regarding the recent steel and aluminum derivative tariffs published last week. She says the removal of USMCA protections within the new tariffs have been a point of emphasis for MEMA, and the association is hopeful its comments and others will lead to exceptions when updates are released next month.
