United States: A Republican-backed bill to revoke the Biden administration’s support for California’s 2035 gas-powered vehicle ban will receive a vote from the U.S. House of Representatives next week.
States Follow California’s Lead
Lawmakers scheduled by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise to vote in the upcoming week about eliminating the EPA waiver permitting California’s 2035 electric vehicle minimum requirement. Additional 11 states, together with New York, Massachusetts, and Oregon, have implemented rules based on those standards, as reported by Reuters.
Legislative authority to eliminate the waiver using Congressional Review Act rules still exists as an unresolved issue. According to the Government Accountability Office in March, the waiver cannot be nullified through the CRA since it requires only majority Senate approval.
A procedural vote at the U.S. House seeks to revoke California’s power to implement pollution regulation standards related to electric zero-emission commercial truck requirements.
While running for president, Trump announced his plan to eliminate EPA permission for California to dictate both EV sales requirements and more stringent vehicle emission regulations.
@GovWesMoore recently issued an E.O. delaying penalties for manufacturers that don’t meet their EV sales quotas. Maryland is one of a dozen or so states that have adopted California’s EV rules, which requires “zero emission” vehicles.
— IvyWarriorEsq (@IvyMarine1908) April 23, 2025
Don't CA my MD!https://t.co/KaN3GokIhH
Automakers Push Back on Targets
Automakers claim that New California regulations set a zero-emission model adoption quota of 35% for 2026 vehicles at a level that contradicts sales numbers, making such an achievement unrealistic before the 2030 mandate increases this requirement to 68%.
Last month, Congress was urged by Toyota (7203.T) “to stop California’s unachievable, unrealistic, and unworkable battery-electric vehicle mandate.”
The state government emphasizes that this rule enables the fulfillment of emission targets while reducing air pollutants that cause smog. Several states, including Maryland, have postponed their adherence to such regulations beyond the future year 2026, as reported by Reuters.
The state of California initiated its plan in 2020 to establish its new sales objective, which demanded that electric vehicles comprise at least 80% of yearly sales alongside 20% plug-in hybrid vehicle sales.
The U.S. Transportation Department is working independently to cancel the fuel economy standards that Biden previously implemented.