House Republicans voted to cancel waivers granted to California by the Environmental Protection Agency that give the state the ability to set stricter vehicle emission standards than federal regulations.
Lawmakers in the House on Wednesday voted 231 to 191 to undo California’s rule requiring heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers to increase the sales of zero-emission trucks. House members also voted 225 to 196 to overturn another regulation allowing the state to set a rule to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions from heavy-duty vehicles.
Both regulations were implemented under waivers granted by the EPA during the Biden administration.
“Michigan is not afraid of the future, but we demand to be a part of it,” said Rep. John James (R-MI), who sponsored the bill overturning the rule requiring the manufacturing of more zero-emission trucks.
“The Biden Administration left behind comply-or-die Green New Deal mandates that threaten to crush our trucking industry and drive-up costs for hardworking Americans,” James added.
Republicans used the Congressional Review Act to pass the resolutions to undo the waivers. The CRA is a special legislative process that has been used frequently by Republicans seeking to undo many of the Biden administration’s energy regulations. It allows lawmakers to bypass a filibuster and vote in a simple majority to undo a regulation.
Since entering office, President Donald Trump has focused on regulations, particularly those in California, that aim to bolster the electric vehicle industry and reduce gas-powered vehicles.
Republicans have argued that California emission regulations set a de facto national standard, as many states follow its standards. The GOP also argues that its rules force consumers to transition to electric vehicles.
“The House of Representatives is voting on Congressional Review Act bills considering the EPA waivers that were given to California’s tailpipe emissions, where California set their own standards,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said Wednesday.
“But there should be one national standard, and right now, Congress on the House side is going to be voting on that today,” he added.
The House will vote later this week on undoing the state’s emissions waiver granted by the EPA during the Biden administration. The waiver allows the state to set emission standards stricter than those that apply at the federal level, banning the sale of gas-powered vehicles by 2035.
Despite House lawmakers’ attempts to undo waivers granted to California, the Government Accountability Office said last month that waivers relating to the Clean Air Act are not considered agency rules and, therefore, are not subject to the CRA.
“By using the Congressional Review Act, the Trump EPA is doing what no EPA under Democratic or Republican administrations in 50 years has ever done, and what the U.S. Government Accountability Office has confirmed does not comply with the law,” a spokesperson for the California Air Resources Board told the Washington Examiner in a statement.
It is unclear whether legal challenges will arise from the House’s efforts to overturn the California waivers.
