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Trump is poised to revoke California's cleaner-car rules
California has long had permission to set its own auto-emissions standards. That could soon change.
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David McNew
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Getty Images
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Topline:
Why it matters: The move to remove California's authority to set vehicle-emissions rules will deprive the state of a major tool in its pollution-reduction toolbox. It also shows how far Republicans are willing to go to defy congressional norms in the name of overturning Democrats' climate policies.
Congress has sent President Donald Trump a trio of resolutions to revoke California's nation-leading authority to set clean-vehicle rules.
Why it matters: The move to remove California's authority to set vehicle-emissions rules will deprive the state of a major tool in its pollution-reduction toolbox. It also shows how far Republicans are willing to go to defy congressional norms in the name of overturning Democrats' climate policies.
What would the rules have done? The first of the three rules would have required automakers to sell increasing percentages of zero-emission vehicles through 2035, when all new-car sales would have to be zero-emission. The other two would impose zero-emission sales targets for heavy-duty trucks and require them to reduce their nitrogen oxide emissions. Ten other states are signed on to follow California's car rules.
Partisan breakdown: The Senate's vote Thursday came after weeks of Republican deliberations over whether to flout the opinion of the Senate parliamentarian, who had said that federal approval of California's standards shouldn't be subject to the Congressional Review Act. In previous Republican administrations, the U.S. EPA had tried to revoke the rules administratively. One Democratic senator — Elissa Slotkin of Michigan — joined Republicans in the vote against the car standards, compared with dozens of Democrats in the House.
What's next? Trump is expected to sign the bills in the coming weeks. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta said last week they'll sue once he does.
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For more, read the full story in POLITICO’s California Climate newsletter.
This article is published in partnership with POLITICO.
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