The future of California’s stringent air pollution rules to promote the adoption of electric vehicles could come down to a handful of moderate Republican senators.
The Senate could vote as soon as next week on repealing a trio of waivers EPA gave California under the Biden administration allowing it to enact new vehicle emissions standards, including a mandate that all new car sales be electric vehicles by 2035.
The House already passed legislation against the waivers with bipartisan support, but some Senate Republicans aren’t certain if they’ll support taking up the Congressional Review Act resolutions.
That’s because the Government Accountability Office and Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled last month the waivers were not rules for the CRA’s purposes. Even though the parliamentarian’s decisions are not binding, lawmakers usually follow them.
