Restoration Responds: New California Tire Regulations Will Increase Highway Fatalities
The climate cult is happy to sacrifice human lives to save the planet from global warming.
"California regulators approve new rules that will limit the type of tires you can buy when it's time to replace them on your car." That line led the report on KCRA News on Aug. 17, after a lengthy hearing.
The California Energy Commission (CEC) claims this will save consumers money by making tires more efficient. Their solution? Reducing the rolling resistance of all replacement tires sold in the state—eliminating around 70 percent of the tires currently on the market.
What does this mean in practical terms? Reduced traction, reduced consumer choice, reduced tire life, higher costs—and higher risk on the road.
Tire manufacturers testified at the commission hearing that these new regulations would add to Californians’ already extreme cost of living. Notably, the CEC has never regulated tires before, yet it assures that the savings on gas (or electricity for electric vehicles) will offset the cost of these fancy replacement tires.
What You Need to Know
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) recently appointed former state Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner to the CEC. Skinner, who authored many environmental bills as a legislator, uncovered a previously unused 2003 law that directs the CEC to study tire efficiency for regulatory purposes.
- Despite never having regulated tires, Skinner told KCRA that the CEC has "decades of experience" in saving Californians money "every single day." Yet tire manufacturer representatives testified at the hearing that the CEC's own data show this regulation will increase tire costs by hundreds of dollars.
- Lower rolling resistance requires a harder rubber compound, which compromises traction—especially in wet conditions. It also wears out faster, requiring more frequent replacements.
The National Impact
Unsurprisingly, California is the first state in the nation to contemplate such a restriction. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) set tailpipe emissions standards far more restrictive than the federal government, essentially giving that state a "second vote" over how cars are designed for the entire nation (due to the size of California's economy).
- Now, CEC will have the same "veto power" over tires available nationwide. Manufacturers will either sell one type of tire in California and a different type in the 49 other states or make things more efficient for themselves by reducing consumer choice nationwide.
- Nationally, driving will be less safe.
- This regulation will also drive small, independent shops operating on thin margins out of business, promoting the dominance of the large chain operators.
- Budget tires could disappear from the market.
Where Do We Go from Here?
In 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it would take several actions, in conjunction with complaints filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ), to eliminate California's waiver rules over emissions standards. California had used this waiver for decades to enforce more stringent vehicle emissions standards than the rest of the nation—along with several other onerous vehicle regulations.
In a statement, EPA Chief Lee Zeldin said: "California was not, and has never been, duly elected by the American people to run our great country. The state's power grab knows no bounds. EPA will not allow California to violate federal law, and we will not sit idly by while, in the name of climate change, they raise the cost of living on all Americans who rely on truck drivers and the products they deliver across the country."
The rest of America can only hope the DOJ and EPA take similarly aggressive action against CEC's new onerous replacement-tire regulations.
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