Senate Parliamentarian Blocks GOP Attempt to Overturn California’s Gas Car Ban
TL/DR –
The Senate parliamentarian has ruled that Republicans in Congress cannot use a legislative maneuver to stop California’s ban on new gasoline-powered cars sales by 2035. The decision is a setback for the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back policies that promote electric vehicles. California had received a federal waiver under the Clean Air Act from the Biden administration to impose stricter automobile emissions standards and to require all new cars sold in the state by 2035 to be emissions-free.
California’s Ban on Gasoline-Powered Cars Untouched by Congressional Manoeuvers
Senate parliamentarian rules out Congressional efforts to reverse California’s new gas-powered cars ban by 2035. This ruling halts the Trump administration’s attempts to curb policies promoting electric vehicles.
California gained a federal waiver from the 1970 Clean Air Act, enabling it to enforce stricter car emissions standards than the federal government. The state aims to demand all new cars sold by 2035 to be emission-free, contributing significantly to climate change fight.
The parliamentarian deemed the waiver not subject to the Congressional Review Act, which allows lawmakers to overturn recent regulations with a simple majority vote. This was welcomed by Democratic senators Alex Padilla, Adam Schiff, and Sheldon Whitehouse.
California’s Governor, Gavin Newsom, hailed the ruling, saying it allowed California to continue setting world-leading clean car and truck standards. California, boasting the fifth-largest economy globally, holds significant market influence. Other states have announced their intention to follow California’s lead and ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035.
Despite Republicans arguing that the waiver was setting a de facto national policy, the Government Accountability Office disagreed. The latter argued that California’s economic clout doesn’t equate to regulation. However, Thomas Pyle, President of the American Energy Alliance, insisted that lawmakers possess the power to consider the waiver, regardless of the parliamentarian’s ruling.
Republican lawmakers propose resolutions to overturn the waivers, led by Representative Kevin Kiley of California. They have a limited timeframe to act, as the law gives Congress 60 days from the day a rule comes into effect to invalidate it. The Biden administration approved the waiver in December.
If Senate Republicans choose to follow the parliamentarian’s decision, their options for swiftly overturning the California policy are limited. E.P.A. Administrator Lee Zeldin could withdraw the waiver, but that process requires months of public notice and comment. In contrast, an E.P.A. spokeswoman criticized the California waiver as imposing “onerous, costly, and unnecessary regulations.”
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