A bill to restrict California air quality officials from regulating emissions produced by privately contracted government fleets failed in its first policy committee hearing Wednesday.
What happened: The Senate Environmental Quality Committee voted 3-3 on AB 1436, a proposal from Assemblymember Anamarie Avila Farias that would require California to receive federal approval before enforcing regulations on private vehicle fleets with government contracts. That means the bill fell one vote short of the threshold to advance.
“This is not the right time to move this, when we have a very hostile federal government, and when people are still dealing with the impacts of asthma and cancer,” state Sen. Lena Gonzalez said during the hearing.
Why it matters: The bill emerged last month amid a broader wave of pushback against the California Air Resources Board. The agency introduced proposed changes to the state’s clean truck standards in May, and local governments, unions and private companies objected, saying they were blindsided by the move.
