EPA targets California over poor air quality

The Trump administration's environmental battle with California intensified as the Environmental Protection Agency warned the state that it could lose federal highway funds if it doesn't clean up its air.

In a letter sent to the California Air Resources Board, the EPA described the state's air quality as the worst in the country with 34 million people living in areas that don’t meet National Ambient Air Quality Standards. That is twice the number of people as in any other state.

The EPA called on the state to address a backlog in plans aimed at reducing air pollution and to work with the agency to develop workable plans or risk highway funding sanctions and other penalties.