"After the GOP-led House ignored rules to revoke the Golden State’s authority to implement the nation’s toughest vehicle pollution rules, Senate Republicans followed suit."
"In a move Democrats warned would have disastrous consequences for the economy, the environment and public health, the Republican-led Senate Thursday voted to block California’s electric-vehicle mandates, revoking the state’s right to implement the nation’s toughest emissions standards.
Republicans used the Congressional Review Act, or CRA, to overturn California’s long-standing authority under the Clean Air Act to request waivers from the Environmental Protection Agency to pass emissions standards stricter than federal rules and protect residents from dangerous air pollution. The move affects 17 other states, and Washington, D.C., which have voluntarily adopted one or more of California’s stricter standards.
The CRA allows Congress to quickly rescind a rule within a limited time after it’s issued by a federal agency, allowing a simple majority vote rather than the 60 votes needed to advance legislation under the filibuster rule.
But both the Senate parliamentarian, the chamber’s official nonpartisan advisor, and the Government Accountability Office, the nonpartisan congressional referee, said the waivers are not rules and so are not subject to the Congressional Review Act."
Liza Gross reports for Inside Climate News May 22, 2025.
SEE ALSO:
"Trump and Republicans Are Targeting Blue States’ Climate Policies" (Washington Post)
"Senate Votes To Block California’S Rule Banning The Sale Of New Gas-Powered Cars By 2035" (AP)
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