Senate Republicans just voted 51 to 44 to overturn a waiver that let California set stricter air pollution standards for vehicles. Apparently, the state has gotten these waivers more than 100 times in the last 50 years. Sixteen other states and the District of Columbia have been following California’s emissions standards, and most of them are getting rid of fossil fuel vehicles. It’s like a whole movement.
On top of that, there were other votes in the Senate today that got rid of waivers allowing California to set tougher emissions standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. California was planning to push for a zero-emissions standard starting in 2026. They wanted to ramp up sales of zero-emissions cars and trucks until 2035 when automakers would only sell zero-emissions vehicles.
As of now, the two technologies that meet this standard are hydrogen fuel cells and battery electric vehicles. But let’s be real, EVs have been the go-to option to meet California’s 2035 deadline because hydrogen fuel cells have had some issues. Last year, about a quarter of new light-duty vehicles in California were zero emissions, and most of them were EVs. The state was aiming for 35% of new sales to be ZEV in 2026, but automakers were like, “No way, that’s impossible!”
ZEV sales in California stayed flat in 2024, even though they were on the rise in previous years. The vote on Thursday was kind of a big deal because it went against what the Senate parliamentarian and the Government Accountability Office had said. Both of them agreed that the waiver couldn’t be taken away under the Congressional Review Act, but the Senate was like, “Nah, we’re doing it anyway.”
Don’t ask me why, but California’s attorney general Rob Bonta was ready for this. He was expecting Republicans to try and scrap the emissions waiver using the CRA. He told Politico back in March that they didn’t think it was the right move and that they were ready to defend themselves if it was used in the wrong way. Sounds like things are heating up in the Golden State.
Tim De Chant, a climate reporter at TechCrunch, shared this news. He’s been around the block, writing for all sorts of publications. From Wired to the Chicago Tribune, this guy knows his stuff. He even teaches at MIT and got a fellowship there to study climate technologies. With a PhD in environmental science, policy, and management, and a BA in environmental studies, English, and biology, he’s the real deal.
Alright, so that’s the scoop on what’s been going down in California. It’s a wild ride, folks. Who knows what’s next in this battle over emissions standards? Stay tuned for more updates on this crazy saga.
