President Donald Trump signed three resolutions into law on Thursday that will prevent California from implementing vehicle emissions rules meant to reduce auto pollution and promote electric vehicles.
Trump signed a measure that would block the waiver granted to California by former President Joe Biden‘s Environmental Protection Agency that allows the state to set stringent emission standards and ban gas-powered vehicles by 2035.
The other two measures bar California from setting strict emission standards on heavy-duty vehicles and nitrogen oxide pollution from trucks.
“Under the previous administration, the federal government gave left-wing radicals in California dictatorial powers to control the future of the entire car industry, all over the country, all over the world,” Trump said.
Trump campaigned on rolling back policies that favor the EV industry, and his administration has moved to reverse regulations and standards that help boost the sector. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, and several lawmakers joined Trump in the White House for the signing ceremony.
“I’m all for electric,” Trump said. “You should be given the option to buy electric, buy a gasoline-powered car, buy a hybrid.”
The Senate passed the measures last month. Republicans have deemed these measures to set a de facto “national EV mandate” because over a dozen states follow California’s emission standards.
The three measures were passed through the Congressional Review Act, a legislative tool for repealing federal regulations by avoiding a filibuster and voting by a simple majority. A regulation that has been repealed through the CRA cannot be reproposed.
Republicans’ attempts to reverse the waivers have faced resistance from Democrats, including Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), who has said his state would pursue legal action against the administration.
“Trump’s all-out assault on California continues – and this time he’s destroying our clean air and America’s global competitiveness in the process,” Newsom said in a statement. “We are suing to stop this latest illegal action by a President who is a wholly-owned subsidiary of big polluters.”
Shortly after Trump signed the resolutions, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that the state filed a lawsuit against the administration.
The resolutions Trump signed Wednesday are the subject of some legal uncertainty. Before Congress passed the resolutions, the Government Accountability Office said the waiver given to California was not subject to repeal via the CRA.
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“They can’t take us to court, they can’t do any other things that they can do with executive orders,” Trump said. “It’s permanent. Sign three pieces of legislation that would kill the California mandates forever, and they are never coming back.”
The Senate parliamentarian advised that the waivers and regulations were not considered agency rules and, therefore, were not subject to the CRA. However, Republican lawmakers chose to proceed with the bills.
