(Image Credit: IMAGN) Stanislaus County, CA, USA; California Governor Gavin Newsom (C), and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (L) meet with NorCal Carpenters Union workers along the construction of the Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) for the future site of Proxima Solar Farm in Stanislaus County, California, USA, 19 May 2023. The Governor unveiled legislation to speed up construction for a streamlined process and to expedite court review on legal challenges that often tie up projects. The project is expected to create 300 construction jobs and generate $35 million in local revenue. The project is expected to be operational by December, could power 60,000 homes in the surrounding region and can generate up to 210 megawatts of clean, renewable energy and 177 megawatts of better energy storage. Mandatory Credit: John G. Mabanglo/Pool via USA TODAY NETWORK
Sacramento, California – California Governor Gavin Newsom is blasting U.S. Senate Republicans ahead of a vote this week that could dismantle three major components of California’s clean air strategy, including the state’s nation-leading zero-emission vehicle standards. The move, pushed through under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), aims to overturn longstanding federal waivers that have allowed California to enforce stricter tailpipe emissions rules than the federal government.
“These aren’t just technical rules,” Newsom said. “The United States Senate has a choice: cede American car-industry dominance to China and clog the lungs of our children, or uphold the clean air policies that Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon fought so hard for. Will you side with China or America?”
The Senate is expected to vote on three resolutions this week after the Republican-led House approved them earlier this month. The resolutions target California’s authority to phase out gas-powered cars by 2035, limit nitrogen oxide pollution from trucks, and cut emissions from medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.
Legal experts, including the Senate Parliamentarian and the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office, have said that the CRA doesn’t apply to these waivers—making the Senate’s move a break from precedent. Since the Clean Air Act was signed into law in 1970, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved over 100 waivers for California, allowing the state to set stricter emissions standards due to its severe air pollution.
California’s clean vehicle waivers date back to the Nixon and Reagan eras and have helped drive significant improvements in air quality. But with five of the ten most polluted U.S. cities located in California—and 10 million residents living in areas with dangerous ozone levels—the state argues it still needs the flexibility to push cleaner vehicle technologies.
Critics of the GOP resolutions also warn of steep public health costs. According to state estimates, reversing the regulations would cost Californians roughly $45 billion in added health care costs over the next 15 years. By contrast, the clean air standards are projected to deliver $91 billion in net economic benefits through 2040.
Newsom and others also argue that undermining California’s zero-emission vehicle policies risks ceding global market leadership to China, which now manufactures over 70% of the world’s electric vehicles. In 2024, Chinese EV imports accounted for three-quarters of the sales growth in emerging economies outside China.
“While Republicans in Congress fight to protect outdated technologies and dirty air,” Newsom said, “China is eating our lunch—and selling it back to us at a premium.”
