By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives plans to vote next week on a Republican plan to repeal the Biden administration’s approval of California’s landmark plan to end the sale of gasoline-only vehicles by 2035. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s office said Wednesday that lawmakers will vote on a measure to […]
Politics
US House to vote on Republican bid to repeal California EV rules
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By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives plans to vote next week on a Republican plan to repeal the Biden administration’s approval of California’s landmark plan to end the sale of gasoline-only vehicles by 2035.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s office said Wednesday that lawmakers will vote on a measure to repeal a waiver granted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Biden in December allowing California to mandate at least 80% electric vehicles by 2035. Those rules have been adopted by another 11 states, including New York, Massachusetts and Oregon.
One issue remains whether Congress can revoke the waiver using the Congressional Review Act. In March, the Government Accountability Office said the waiver cannot be repealed under the CRA, which only requires a majority of the U.S. Senate.
The U.S. House also plans to vote on a waiver to block California from mandating new pollution standards and a rising number of zero-emission electric commercial trucks.
As a candidate, Trump vowed to rescind waivers granted by the EPA under the Clean Air Act to California to require more EVs and tighter vehicle emissions standards.
California’s rules require 35% of light-duty vehicles in the 2026 model year to be a zero-emission model- a figure automakers say is impossible to meet given current sales – rising to 68% by 2030.
Toyota last month called on Congress “to stop California’s unachievable, unrealistic, and unworkable battery-electric vehicle mandate.”
The state says the rule is crucial to meeting greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and cutting smog-forming pollutants. Some states like Maryland have delayed compliance with those rules past 2026.
California first announced a plan in 2020 to require that by 2035 at least 80% of new cars sold be electric and up to 20% plug-in hybrid models.
The U.S. Transportation Department is separately moving to undo aggressive fuel economy rules adopted by Biden.
(Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Franklin Paul)