GOP Seeks to Undo California’s Strict Emissions Rules

Rep. John Joyce (R-PA) is continuing his push against California air pollution rules (POLITICO’s E&E News, subscription).

What’s going on: Rep. Joyce’s resolution, H.J. Res. 205, “would undo a 2013 federal waiver that allowed California to impose stricter pollution standards for vehicles … through model year 2025.”

• The measure follows one introduced earlier this month by Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY) that would nullify the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2009 California waiver allowing strict greenhouse gas emissions on vehicles.

Why it’s important: Many states tie their pollution standards to limits set by the Golden State, which relies on EPA waivers under the Clean Air Act to set stricter emissions limits than the federal government.

The backdrop: The flurry of Republican resolutions follows EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s efforts to treat previously granted state waivers as rules that Congress has the authority to reverse—administration actions that California is currently challenging in court.

What’s next: “The question now is whether the Republican moderates and some Democrats who supported last year’s action do so again with the new batch of waivers the Trump administration wants gone.”

• During the current Congress, the House Energy and Commerce Committee has supported the repeal of more recent waivers granted to California, as has Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).