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We’ve been here before. Even the actors are the same.

When President Donald Trump took office in 2017, his favorite debate partner was California. The state’s ambitious environmental policies are often criticized by the presidentdrill, baby drill for oil” and rein in California’s regulations.

Now there is a California-Trump 2.0 war, and the stakes are much the same. Candidate Trump threatened to repeal many environmental programs and bypass federal regulatory agencies on his first day in office.

Although California touts its exceptionalism and touts its environmental policies as an example to the rest of the country, the Golden State is just that, a state, not a nation-state. It relies on the federal government for assistance, funding and partnerships on major initiatives.

California’s massive water projects, mandate to clean its air, federal support for offshore wind and disaster relief for wildfires all depend on cooperation with the new Trump administration.

On Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom called special legislative session Funding California’s legal defense against efforts “intended to undermine California laws and policies.” Newsom wants to increase funding for the state Department of Justice and other agencies to take quick action through the courts. Pushing back against a series of expected Trump actionsIncluding those related to clean air and climate change.

The good news for California is that the first Trump administration “lost 83% of cases involving attempts to roll back environmental regulations,” said Ann Carlson, an environmental law professor and director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.

It’s unknown whether California can make itself “Trump-proof” and fend off four more years of attacks on its environmental efforts, but lawmakers say they’re ready to fight.

“We learned a lot about former President Trump in his first term; he is narrow-minded, vindictive, and will do whatever it takes to get his way, no matter how dangerous his policies,” said Senate President Pro Tem. Mike McGuirea Santa Rosa Democrat said in a statement.

Some of the key environmental policies at issue in California include:

Federal disaster funds for wildfires in California

Trump has never been short of advice for California on how the state should manage the ever-growing wildfire threat.

Trump, as president, visiting the burnt husk of a destroyed Eden in 2018 He suggested scanning 33 million acres of forest land To reduce fuel accumulation. Especially devastating fire year: 8,000 fires, 2 million acres burned, 24,000 structures destroyed and 100 people killed.

Two years later Trump threatened stop federal wildfire aid because he said the state deliberately failed to follow its advice to “clean up its floors.”

And last month at a campaign rally He made another threat that fire aid would be stopped if he was re-elected. Trump scolded Newsom for not properly managing the state’s water resources, saying if the governor doesn’t toe the line, “We’re not giving you any of the fire money that we always send you for all the fires, wildfires that you’ve had.” . “This is not difficult to do.”

Whether Trump’s words were intended as a warning or to incite the mob, it’s a sobering thought: Presidents have the power to refuse or delay sending emergency aid to states.

Despite the fuss, California has generally received the wildfire assistance it requested so far. Federal aid arrived even at the height of Newsom’s feud with then-President Trump over wildfire and pandemic aid.

“There wasn’t a single phone call I had with the president where he didn’t respond quickly.” Newsom said In 2020. “And in almost every case he responded positively in terms of meeting the urgent needs of the state.”

Brian Rice, president of the Professional Fire Fighters of California, the state’s largest fire organization, said disaster relief should not be politicized.

“If you are a California resident, you should be concerned about this,” Rice said. “Will the 47th president of the United States withhold federal disaster assistance from the state of California? It’s hard to understand. What if there is an earthquake or a landslide? This is one of those things that needs to be addressed.