(Image Credit: IMAGN) An electric car charges at an EV charging station in Oklahoma City, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024.
Washington D.C. – In a politically charged move, the U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday to overturn California’s clean truck standards, using a legislative tool to target environmental rules despite warnings from Congress’s own legal authority that the effort may not be valid.
Lawmakers voted 231-191 and 225-196 to strike down two key emissions standards approved by the Biden administration for California. One rule is designed to accelerate the transition to electric trucks, while the other limits nitrogen oxide emissions—pollutants linked to smog, asthma, and other respiratory illnesses.
The measures were challenged under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), which allows Congress to nullify recent federal regulations with a simple majority vote and presidential sign-off, bypassing the Senate filibuster. While typically used to reverse formal rules enacted by federal agencies, the current votes target EPA-approved waivers that allow California to set stricter vehicle emissions standards than the federal government—a right granted to the state under the Clean Air Act due to its longstanding air quality issues.
However, the Government Accountability Office (GAO)—Congress’s nonpartisan legal watchdog—has concluded that because the EPA’s action came in the form of waivers, not formal regulations, they are not subject to CRA reversal. The House’s decision to press forward anyway reflects a willingness among Republicans to pursue their environmental rollback agenda regardless of the GAO’s opinion.
“This is a defiance of congressional norms,” said one Democratic aide, warning that it sets a dangerous precedent for undermining legal guardrails designed to keep legislative tools within their intended bounds.
Senate Republicans have voiced similar opposition to California’s truck emissions rules but face their own procedural hurdles. The Senate parliamentarian has sided with the GAO’s view, ruling that waivers are outside the scope of the CRA. While GOP senators have not yet committed to defying that decision, doing so could spark a legal and procedural showdown—particularly given the parliamentarian’s role in governing the reconciliation process used for high-stakes budget legislation.
The House had also planned to vote Wednesday on blocking California’s phaseout of gas-powered cars, but that vote was delayed until Thursday.
California’s ability to implement its own emissions standards, with EPA approval, has made the state a de facto regulator for much of the nation. Over a dozen other states often follow California’s lead, amplifying the impact of its environmental rules. With more than 10 percent of the U.S. population residing in California, its policies shape a sizable portion of the auto and trucking markets.
The outcome of the House vote and the looming Senate decision could have sweeping implications—not only for environmental policy, but for how Congress interprets and applies the powers of the CRA going forward.
