The U.S. House of Representatives voted to block California’s plan to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035, moving to repeal waivers permitted under the Biden administration that allowed the state to implement a phase-out plan against the vehicles.
Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, called the vote a “victory for Americans who will not be forced into purchasing costly EVs because of California’s unworkable mandates.”
“If not repealed, the California waivers would lead to higher prices for both new and used vehicles, increase our reliance on China, and strain our electric grid. The passage of these three resolutions will help to protect Americans from some of the worst policies of the Biden-Harris Administration,” Guthrie said. “Thank you to Vice Chairman Joyce, Congressman James, and Congressman Obernolte for your work to ensure that families and businesses can continue choosing the vehicles they need.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office (D) called the vote illegal. According to his office, the House “illegally used the Congressional Review Act (CRA)” in an effort to “attempt to repeal California’s Clean Air Act waivers, which authorize California’s clean cars and trucks program.”
“Clean air didn’t used to be political. In fact, we can thank Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon for our decades-old authority to clean our air,” Newsom said. “The only thing that’s changed is that big polluters and the right-wing propaganda machine have succeeded in buying off the Republican Party – and now the House is using a tactic that the Senate’s own parliamentarian has said is lawless. Our vehicles program helps clean the air for all Californians, and we’ll continue defending it. Washington may want to cede our economy to China but California is standing by American innovation.”
