Key facts
- Four Republican senators proposed repealing California's vehicle emissions rules.
- The senators argue California's waivers under the Clean Air Act allow it to act as the nation's de facto emissions regulator.
- The effort aims to prevent California from imposing stricter tailpipe requirements than federal standards.
- The proposed resolutions utilize the Congressional Review Act to nullify EPA waivers.
- The package targets California's authority over passenger vehicles, small off-road engines, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Four Republican U.S. senators have proposed repealing landmark California vehicle emissions rules, aiming to prevent the state from imposing stricter tailpipe requirements than federal standards. The senators argue that waivers granted to California under the Clean Air Act have allowed the state to become the nation's de facto emissions regulator, forcing manufacturers to adopt its standards nationwide.
Led by Senator Cynthia Lummis, the effort utilizes the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to nullify specific EPA waivers. These waivers pertain to passenger vehicle emissions standards, the Advanced Clean Cars program, small off-road engines used in lawn and garden equipment, and greenhouse gas emission standards from 2009. Republicans contend that these waivers, originally intended as narrow exceptions, have been weaponized to advance California's climate agenda and impose costly mandates on consumers and businesses across the country.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had previously transmitted four California waiver rules to Congress for review under the CRA, fulfilling what it described as a statutory obligation. The EPA stated that previous administrations failed to transmit these waivers, thus denying Congress its required opportunity to review them. The agency also noted that these rules have prospective, national implications, effectively supplanting EPA authority and pushing towards electric vehicles and electrification of equipment.
Industry groups, such as the National Association of Landscape Professionals and the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, support a transition to lower-emission equipment but advocate for practical innovation rather than government mandates. California has sued to block the EPA's action to subject its waivers to congressional review, asserting its authority to set stricter environmental regulations.