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Time of India
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Trump signs measure blocking California's ban on new sales of gas-powered cars
President Donald Trump signed a resolution on Thursday that blocks California's first-in-the-nation rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. The move is expected to become the state's latest legal challenge with the federal government. The resolution was approved by Congress last month and aims to quash the country's most aggressive attempt to phase out gas-powered cars. Trump also signed measures to overturn state policies curbing tailpipe emissions in certain vehicles and smog-forming nitrogen oxide pollution from trucks. Trump called California's regulations "crazy" at a White House ceremony where he signed the resolutions. "It's been a disaster for this country," he said. It comes as the Republican president is mired in a clash with California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, over Trump's move to deploy troops to Los Angeles in response to immigration protests. It's the latest in an ongoing battle between the Trump administration and heavily Democratic California over issues including tariffs, the rights of LGBTQ+ youth and funding for electric vehicle chargers. The three resolutions Trump signed will block California's rule phasing out gas-powered cars and end the sale of new ones by 2035. They will also kill rules that phase out the sale of medium- and heavy-duty diesel vehicles and cut tailpipe emissions from trucks. In his remarks at the White House, Trump expressed doubts about the performance and reliability of electric vehicles, though he had some notably positive comments about the company owned by Elon Musk, despite their fractured relationship. "I like Tesla," Trump said. In remarks that often meandered away from the subject at hand, Trump used the East Room ceremony to also muse on windmills, which he claimed "are killing our country," the prospect of getting electrocuted by an electric-powered boat if it sank and whether he'd risk a shark attack by jumping as the boat went down. "I'll take electrocution every single day," the president said. When it comes to cars, Trump said he likes combustion engines but for those that prefer otherwise, "If you want to buy electric, you can buy electric." "What this does is it gives us freedom," said Bill Kent, the owner of Kent Kwik convenience stores. Kent, speaking at the White House, said that the California rules would have forced him to install "infrastructure that frankly, is extremely expensive and doesn't give you any return." The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents major car makers, applauded Trump's action. "Everyone agreed these EV sales mandates were never achievable and wildly unrealistic," John Bozzella, the group's president and CEO, said in a statement. Newsom, who is considered a likely 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, and California officials contend that what the federal government is doing is illegal and said the state plans to sue. "If it's a day ending in Y, it's another day of Trump's war on California," Newsom spokesperson Daniel Villasenor said in an email ahead of Trump's signing. "We're fighting back." California's attorney general is expected to speak at a news conference Thursday morning. The signings come as Trump has pledged to revive American auto manufacturing and boost oil and gas drilling. The move follows other steps the Trump administration has taken to roll back rules that aim to protect air and water and reduce emissions that cause climate change. The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday proposed repealing rules that limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants fueled by coal and natural gas. Dan Becker with the Center for Biological Diversity, said the signing of the resolutions was "Trump's latest betrayal of democracy." "Signing this bill is a flagrant abuse of the law to reward Big Oil and Big Auto corporations at the expense of everyday people's health and their wallets," Becker said in a statement. California, which has some of the nation's worst air pollution, has been able to seek waivers for decades from the EPA, allowing it to adopt stricter emissions standards than the federal government. In his first term, Trump revoked California's ability to enforce its standards, but Democratic President Joe Biden reinstated it in 2022. Trump has not yet sought to revoke it again. Republicans have long criticized those waivers and earlier this year opted to use the Congressional Review Act, a law aimed at improving congressional oversight of actions by federal agencies, to try to block the rules. That's despite a finding from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan congressional watchdog, that California's standards cannot legally be blocked using the Congressional Review Act. The Senate parliamentarian agreed with that finding. California, which makes up roughly 11% of the U.S. car market, has significant power to sway trends in the auto industry. About a dozen states signed on to adopt California's rule phasing out the sale of new gas-powered cars. ___ Austin reported from Sacramento, Calif.
12-06-2025
- Automotive
Trump signs measure blocking California's ban on new sales of gas-powered cars
WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump signed a resolution on Thursday that blocks California's first-in-the-nation rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. The state quickly announced it was challenging the move in court, with California's attorney general holding a news conference to discuss the lawsuit before Trump's signing ceremony ended at the White House. The resolution was approved by Congress last month and aims to quash the country's most aggressive attempt to phase out gas-powered cars. Trump also signed measures to overturn state policies curbing tailpipe emissions in certain vehicles and smog-forming nitrogen oxide pollution from trucks. Trump called California's regulations 'crazy' at a White House ceremony where he signed the resolutions. 'It's been a disaster for this country,' he said. It comes as the Republican president is mired in a clash with California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, over Trump's move to deploy troops to Los Angeles in response to immigration protests. It's the latest in an ongoing battle between the Trump administration and heavily Democratic California over issues including tariffs, the rights of LGBTQ+ youth and funding for electric vehicle chargers. The state is already involved in more than two-dozen lawsuits challenging Trump administration actions, and the state's Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the latest one at a news conference in California. Ten other states, all with Democratic attorneys general, joined the lawsuit filed Thursday. 'The federal government's actions are not only unlawful; they're irrational and wildly partisan,' Bonta said. 'They come at the direct expense of the health and the well-being of our people.' The three resolutions Trump signed will block California's rule phasing out gas-powered cars and end the sale of new ones by 2035. They will also kill rules that phase out the sale of medium- and heavy-duty diesel vehicles and cut tailpipe emissions from trucks. In his remarks at the White House, Trump expressed doubts about the performance and reliability of electric vehicles, though he had some notably positive comments about the company owned by Elon Musk, despite their fractured relationship. 'I like Tesla,' Trump said. In remarks that often meandered away from the subject at hand, Trump used the East Room ceremony to also muse on windmills, which he claimed 'are killing our country,' the prospect of getting electrocuted by an electric-powered boat if it sank and whether he'd risk a shark attack by jumping as the boat went down. 'I'll take electrocution every single day," the president said. When it comes to cars, Trump said he likes combustion engines but for those that prefer otherwise, 'If you want to buy electric, you can buy electric.' 'What this does is it gives us freedom,' said Bill Kent, the owner of Kent Kwik convenience stores. Kent, speaking at the White House, said that the California rules would have forced him to install 'infrastructure that frankly, is extremely expensive and doesn't give you any return.' The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents major car makers, applauded Trump's action. 'Everyone agreed these EV sales mandates were never achievable and wildly unrealistic,' John Bozzella, the group's president and CEO, said in a statement. Newsom, who is considered a likely 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, and California officials contend that what the federal government is doing is illegal and said the state plans to sue. Newsom said Trump's action was a continuation of his 'all-out assault' on California. 'And this time he's destroying our clean air and America's global competitiveness in the process,' Newsom said in a statement. 'We are suing to stop this latest illegal action by a President who is a wholly-owned subsidiary of big polluters.' The signings come as Trump has pledged to revive American auto manufacturing and boost oil and gas drilling. The move follows other steps the Trump administration has taken to roll back rules that aim to protect air and water and reduce emissions that cause climate change. The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday proposed repealing rules that limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants fueled by coal and natural gas. Dan Becker with the Center for Biological Diversity, said the signing of the resolutions was 'Trump's latest betrayal of democracy.' 'Signing this bill is a flagrant abuse of the law to reward Big Oil and Big Auto corporations at the expense of everyday people's health and their wallets,' Becker said in a statement. California, which has some of the nation's worst air pollution, has been able to seek waivers for decades from the EPA, allowing it to adopt stricter emissions standards than the federal government. In his first term, Trump revoked California's ability to enforce its standards, but Democratic President Joe Biden reinstated it in 2022. Trump has not yet sought to revoke it again. Republicans have long criticized those waivers and earlier this year opted to use the Congressional Review Act, a law aimed at improving congressional oversight of actions by federal agencies, to try to block the rules. That's despite a finding from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan congressional watchdog, that California's standards cannot legally be blocked using the Congressional Review Act. The Senate parliamentarian agreed with that finding. California, which makes up roughly 11% of the U.S. car market, has significant power to sway trends in the auto industry. About a dozen states signed on to adopt California's rule phasing out the sale of new gas-powered cars.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
3 Big Numbers: Taking a closer look at new store designs
This story was originally published on C-Store Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily C-Store Dive newsletter. 3 Big Numbers is a weekly column that looks at a few key details from around the c-store industry. Convenience retailers regularly innovate their store designs. From 7-Eleven planning to implement a new food-forward format at hundreds of stores to local operators that tailor their corner stores to what the neighborhood needs, upgrading both the look and offer inside helps keep up with customer expectations and turn stores into destinations. In this week's '3 Big Numbers,' we look at the investment Arko Corp. is making in a food-focused format, the size of Kent Kwik's latest location and the operational impact of Murphy USA's updated store design. The upper end of what Arko is spending on its new locations. Arko has been teasing its new food-focused convenience stores since last summer. In its latest earnings report, leaders shared that construction on the first of these seven sites has now begun. These locations will feature Arko's new proprietary foodservice program, Fas Craves, which will include hot and cold grab-and-go foods, baked goods, pizza, roller grill dogs and other fresh-prepared items, Chairman, President and CEO Arie Kotler said during the company's earnings call last week. Arko isn't skimping on these projects. The company expects to spend between $700,000 and $1.1 million on renovating the sites to accommodate Fas Craves, Kotler noted in the call. The square footage of Kent Kwik's upcoming food-focused store. Kent Kwik, which is owned by The Kent Companies, is testing out a new food-focused format, with its latest iteration expected to open next month, according to its website. The location, which is being built in Midland, Texas, will feature a 6,200-square-foot store and a made-to-order kitchen. The site has more to offer than just food. It will also have a drive-thru, the company's second-ever Kent Dog Wash and a two-bay car wash, according to Kent Kwik's website. Local reporting even notes that a Kent Lube Fast Oil Change Center will be coming to the site. The difference in merchandise margin between Murphy USA's new and old designs. Murphy USA has been operating its new stores in some markets for a while. Anyone interested can even take a peek inside via our coverage of its recently remodeled site near El Paso, Texas. But thanks to a recent earnings call, we can also look inside the books for these stores, too. According to company data, these revamped designs outperform older stores both inside and out. In the forecourt, stores with the new design are seeing about 20% more fuel gallons sold, CFO Gallagher Jeff said during the call. The difference is even more stark inside, with a roughly 40% increase in merchandise margins. 'These new stores are driving value and winning new customers, which is while we're aggressively working on our new store pipeline,' said Jeff. Recommended Reading Murphy USA's new store design was the star of Q1
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Kent Companies rolling out food-focused c-store format
This story was originally published on C-Store Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily C-Store Dive newsletter. The Kent Companies, which operates over 100 convenience stores across the Southwest and Southeast U.S., is testing out a new food-focused format, a company spokesperson confirmed to C-Store Dive. These locations feature a made-to-order kitchen, a beer and ice cave and two-bay car washes, while the latest store being constructed will also include the retailer's second-ever dog wash, the spokesperson said. According to Kent's website, this location will also feature a drive-thru. Kent has so far rolled out 'a couple' of these new formats across its Kent Kwik banner, the spokesperson said, and the next store is expected to open in June, according to the company's website. With food-focused c-store designs continuing to roll out across the industry, Kent — one of the fastest-growing mid-size retailers in the U.S. — is capitalizing. On LinkedIn, Kent called the latest location under this design an 'all-in-one destination.' The made-to-order kitchen and drive-thru will center around the retailer's Kwik Eats Deli, which offers meals across all dayparts, ranging from breakfast burritos and skillets to burgers, pizza and chicken sandwiches. Meanwhile, the car washes are an ongoing investment for Kent, which has about a dozen already in its network, according to its website. All Kent car washes operate 24 hours a day, with select locations having staff on-site for part of the day. It's unclear where the first few food-focused stores are located, although the spokesperson noted the newest site under construction will be in Kent's home area of Midland, Texas. This store will be a stone's throw away from a 7-Eleven-owned Stripes and a FEMSA-owned DK gas station, which will soon be converted to an Oxxo. Kent, whose c-store network includes the Kent Kwik and the Bountyland Quick Stop banners, joins a slew of convenience retailers placing food at the forefront of their operations through new formats. 7-Eleven has been the most notable example through its ambitious plan to open hundreds of food-focused stores in by 2027. Meanwhile, earlier this month, GPM Investments began building the first of seven new pilot stores which will feature its new Fas Craves foodservice program. Recommended Reading Arko begins building food-focused stores, will debut new foodservice program
