The rule imposes ‘costly and unrealistic mandates’ on small businesses, warned a business group.
The U.S. Senate has decided to discuss a resolution that would roll back California’s stringent vehicle emission standards mandating the phasing out of gas-powered cars.
On May 21, the Senate voted 51–46 to consider H.J.Res.88, a resolution seeking to nullify waivers granted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to California that allow the state to implement its Advanced Clean Cars (ACC) II regulations.
The Clean Air Act bans states from establishing their own tailpipe emission standards for trucks and cars. However, California can get an exemption to the ban if it gets a waiver from the EPA. Following the waiver approval, California can implement its own emissions rules.
ACC II requires 35 percent of new car sales in California to be zero-emission by 2026, with the requirement scaling up to 100 percent by 2035, the office of Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.), who co-led the resolution in the House, said in a May 1 statement.
In December, the EPA granted a waiver to California allowing the state to implement ACC II.
A significant issue with the waiver was that once California institutes ACC II, these standards are “adopted by other states under Section 177 of the Clean Air Act,” the statement said.
“Currently, about a dozen states follow California’s emissions policies, effectively turning the state’s regulations into a nationwide mandate.”
H.J.Res.88 was passed by the House of Representatives on May 1 with a vote of 246–164.
With the Senate now set to consider the resolution, H.J.Res.88 stands a chance to pass the chamber. If President Donald Trump signs it into law, ACC II mandates requiring a transition to zero-emission vehicles would no longer be valid in California.
In a May 2 statement, the National Federation of Independent Business applauded the passage of H.J.Res.88 in the House.
Earlier on April 29, the organization had written a letter to the House in support of the resolution, warning that EV mandates imposed under ACC II will impact “millions of small businesses across the country.”
ACC II would allow “a single state’s policymakers to dictate vehicle regulations nationwide,” the organization said in the letter. “This is an overreach that imposes costly and unrealistic mandates on small business owners, most of whom do not have the financial means to comply with these regulations.”
