California’s all about phasing out those gas-guzzling cars and cleaning up the air, but it looks like things might hit a snag soon. The U.S. Senate is gearing up for a vote today to put the brakes on California’s electric vehicle mandate. This follows the green light from the U.S. House of Representatives not too long ago. If the Senate goes ahead and revokes California’s waivers, it could mean a big legal and political showdown between the state and President Donald Trump’s crew.
The Senate was up late last night hashing out the details, but they decided to hold off on the vote until this morning. What’s at stake? Well, California scored three waivers from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President Joe Biden last year. The most controversial one lets the state require all new cars sold there to be emission-free by 2035 — mostly electric cars. The other two waivers tackle phasing out new diesel trucks and cutting down on smog-forming emissions from trucks and buses.
Now, Trump hasn’t been shy about his dislike for California’s plan to phase out gas-powered cars. He even tried to strip California of its power to regulate car emissions during his first stint in the White House. The threat of these waivers getting axed back in January already had state regulators backing off from their plan to phase out diesel trucks. But some experts are saying hold up – Congress might not actually have the right to use the Congressional Review Act to take back these waivers. Looks like Gov. Gavin Newsom’s team might be gearing up for a legal showdown if things go south.
Alright, so California’s been setting its own tougher auto emissions rules for over 50 years now, thanks to some exceptions in the federal Clean Air Act. These exceptions are crucial for the state, which has some of the worst air quality in the nation. But here’s the kicker — California needs these federal waivers to enforce its own standards. And if the Senate gives the thumbs down today, things could get messy real quick. Let’s see how this showdown plays out — fingers crossed for a clean, green outcome!
