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Kirsten Engel: “California no longer has this waiver, although that's in…”

Featuring: Kirsten Engel, Democratic | Former Candidate, U.S. House Arizona, District 6

Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel

Published October 23, 2025 | Video Starts at 42:10

And now the federal government is. The executive branch is claiming that EPA's, California's standards are now preempted. I think they've got an argument on that because California no longer has this waiver, although that's in litigation. Another example, the federal government sought to preempt Hawaii that was filing a liability suit against the oil industry. (42:10–42:14)

CLAIM

Asserts that California's waiver is no longer in effect and is subject to litigation.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

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Kirsten Engel

“There is an 83% cut in the Stag Fund, which is state and tribal assistance grants.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 17:11-17:34
“97% of Arizona's surface water are actually ephemeral streams and waters.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 26:34-26:43
“There is a proposed repeal of the endangerment finding for the emissions of greenhouse gases.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 31:57-32:05
“In April 2024, EPA finalized really the first ever nationwide maximum contaminant levels for different types of PFAS chemicals in drinking…”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 34:00-34:12
“EPA took action to vacate the standards for four of those PFAs contaminants and to extend the compliance dates for the two others.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 34:25-34:36
“The administration initiated and Congress passed the repeal of that waiver that allows them [California] to do that.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 41:47-41:47
“We are seeing very large shifts in federal environmental regulation.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 02:26-02:32
“We see this federal retrenchment right now, working through the system.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 03:00-03:05
“The EPA administrator announced [deregulatory actions] back in March.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 05:33-05:38
“There is a proposed repeal of NEPA guidance, National Environmental Policy.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 05:52-06:01
“There is a retrenchment on the scope of the federal Clean Water Act.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 05:52-06:01
“Current federal retrenchment in environmental regulation, enforcement and funding.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 05:54-06:01
“The federal government kind of recedes in some of these areas.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 06:14-06:18
“The Environmental Protection Agency was established in the 1970s under the presidency of Richard Nixon.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 07:01-07:42
“William Ruckelshaus was the first administrator of the EPA.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 07:01-07:42
“EPA has no obligation to promote agriculture or commerce.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 07:42-08:11
“EPA has broad responsibility for research, standard setting, monitoring, enforcement regarding air and water pollution, solid waste…”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 07:42-08:11
“There was a general perception that states were not doing enough with respect to environmental regulation.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 08:21-08:41
“Only the federal government can reduce interstate spillovers of pollution.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 09:42-09:47
“We need to prevent states from racing to the bottom by weakening or adopting weaker standards.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 10:09-10:33
“The prospect of attracting industry through lower standards has had an outside influence on states.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 11:21-11:44
“EPA under [administrator] Lee Zeldin is giving power back to the states and helping commerce and industry.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 12:30-12:52
“There have been cutbacks in staffing, dismantling of expert scientific panels, canceling climate or clean energy grants, regulatory…”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 13:20-14:07
“There are proposed regulatory rollbacks affecting the energy industry, including the proposed repeal of mercury standards and greenhouse gas…”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 14:08-14:21
“There are significant cuts in Superfund money.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 17:11-17:34
“Arizona's legislature is a part-time legislature.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 18:55-19:00
“There is a Republican majority in the Arizona legislature.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 18:55-19:00
“Arizona House is a 60 member body and the Arizona Senate is 30 members.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 20:20-20:26
“Arizona just lets the feds run the [Army Corps of Engineers 404 dredge and fill] program.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 23:34-23:34
“Arizona has about 4 of the federal permit programs.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 24:02-24:13
“Arizona really only has one state specific permit program, and that's an aquifer protection permit.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 24:02-24:12
“Out of $132 million, only 31 million comes from the general fund.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 24:38-24:45
“A full $102 million comes from fees from regulated parties.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 24:45-24:51
“Federal grants are a pretty big chunk of all the money that itself is just is $20 million.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 24:57-25:05
“Arizona does not have a nepa, no National Environmental Policy Act.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 27:42-27:48
“Arizona does have its own mini Superfund.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 28:34-28:38
“It has no joint and several liability.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 28:44-28:47
“Most of the major hazardous waste cleanups that are going on in Arizona are ones that are led by the federal government.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 29:27-29:36
“Arizona has a no more stringent than ceiling on state regulation.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 30:20-30:28
“There is a statutory prohibition upon state greenhouse gas regulations.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 31:50-31:56
“Arizona represents a state that really is very dependent on the federal government for funding its state environmental programming.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 32:11-32:21
“EPA had done in the basically 2023 time period, more studies and found that there needed to be a much more stringent [PFAS] standard.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 35:51-35:51
“The states that have the 70 parts per million there, the early state that's Arkansas, Colorado, New Hampshire and Wisconsin, I think Nevada…”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 36:21-36:36
“We do have a little bit of, perhaps a little bit of bad news on Arizona's side. Probably one of the biggest news items in the state of…”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 38:57-39:25
“Our state Corporation commission has actually proposed to repeal those [state renewable portfolio standard and state energy efficiency…”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 39:33-39:41
“California has this waiver under the Clean Air act, as we discussed, for having these greenhouse gas emission standards for vehicles as well…”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 41:36-41:47
“The federal government sought to preempt Hawaii that was filing a liability suit against the oil industry.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 42:16-42:27
“Your power to hold the oil industry liable is actually preempted by federal law.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 42:35-42:42
“It conflicts with the Clean Air Act as well as the federal authority over energy and climate policy.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 42:42-42:51
“We're going to see a greater impact on states that are very reliant on the federal government, especially for funding and for standard…”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 43:29-43:38
“Those states that are sticking their neck out have been targets where we're seeing.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 45:54-46:02
“So much of this has been oriented toward the energy industry and the effort to build up, you know, domestic sources of energy, fossil fuels.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 46:22-46:36
“Arizona is doing a lot of things and, you know, in a lot of areas it's much more aggressive, especially in the area of water.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 48:17-48:24
“Preemption issues are very much legal issues. I think they're ending up in the courts.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 50:23-50:31
“Arizona passed its, it called it waters of the state bill.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 52:35-52:41
“Wotus waters of the United States is being restricted.”
Distinguished Environmental Lecture: Kirsten Engel | Uploaded October 23, 2025 | 52:50-52:54