After the GOP-led House ignored rules to revoke the Golden State’s authority to implement the nation’s toughest vehicle pollution rules, Senate Republicans followed suit.

The Senate passed resolutions to curb CARB’s enforcement authority, nearly eliminating the EPA waivers behind the Advanced Clean Trucks and Heavy-Duty Omnibus regulations.

In its press release, the California Governor’s Office pointed to the decades of precedent upholding California’s waiver, which is protected by the Clean Air Act. It also pointed out that the California Air Resources Board was established under Governor Ronald Reagan, and waivers were first granted by President Richard Nixon.

The House and Senate both voted to loosen regulations on air pollutants like dioxin and mercury, which are associated with higher cancer risk.

Environmental groups have called the “One Big Beautiful Bill” the most anti-environment piece of legislation in U.S. history, citing its proposed repeal of vehicle emissions regulations, expansion of oil and gas leasing,

The House approved S.J.Res. 31 early Thursday morning on a 216-212 party-line vote. The Congressional Review Act resolution, introduced by Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah), would repeal the Clean Air Act rule rolled out last year as a successor for the “once in, always in” policy that was scrapped in 2020 during President Donald Trump’s first term.

House Republicans have proposed cutting billions of dollars in funding for Biden-era climate and environmental programs, including clean energy tax credits.

The rule delay comes as the Republican-controlled Congress is working to revoke California’s Clean Air Act waivers — the same authority Oregon and a half-dozen other states used to adopt the clean truck rule. If that effort goes through, it would make it challenging for Oregon and other states to uphold their clean truck rules.

I am alarmed that California's clean-air standards face threats from Senate Republicans, risking American innovation in electric vehicles and global market competitiveness.