A coalition of groups representing the fuel, agriculture and transportation industries are urging Congress to end California’s ability to set its own vehicle emissions standards. I

In a letter to Senate and House leaders, the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers association and 110 other organizations said rules requiring the production of more electric vehicles will harm the U.S. economy and threaten national security because of their reliance on adversaries for critical materials.

What You Need To Know

  • A coalition of groups representing the fuel, agriculture and transportation industries are urging Congress to end California’s ability to set its own vehicle emissions standards

  • In a letter to Senate and House leaders, the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers association and 110 other organizations said rules requiring the production of more electric vehicles will harm the U.S. economy and national security

  • In 2022, California adopted the latest in a longstanding string of regulations to help transition the state to 100% zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035

  • In February, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin recommended ending a 15-year-old finding that greenhouse gas emissions threaten public health and welfare; without the so-called endangerment finding, the EPA no longer has the legal authority to regulate emissions from vehicles

“While we support reducing emissions in the transportation sector, forced electrification and unachievable standards are not the only way to accomplish this,” the groups wrote in the letter. “In a country as big and diverse as ours, vehicle offerings need to be diverse to meet Americans’ wide-ranging transportation needs.”

In 2022, California adopted the latest in a longstanding string of regulations to help transition the state to 100% zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035. The regulation reduces allowable emissions for passenger vehicles, pickup trucks and SUVs that run on gas and diesel starting with the 2026 model year. It requires automakers to make increasing numbers of zero-emissions vehicles with each successive year through 2035.

Fourteen states, accounting for 40% of new vehicle sales nationally, follow California’s clean vehicle standard.

The federal Clean Air Act of 1967 gave California the authority to set its own emissions standards because of its unique weather and geography, which led to severe air pollution. Through the CAA, the state sets more stringent tailpipe emission standards than what the Environmental Protection Agency requires nationally.

In February, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin recommended the federal government no longer recognize a 15-year-old finding that greenhouse gas emissions threaten public health and welfare. The so-called "endangerment finding" requires the EPA to take action under the Clean Air Act to curb emissions. Without it, the EPA no longer has the legal authority to regulate emissions from vehicles.

In their letter, the groups said they support using the Congressional Review Act — a law that requires both houses of Congress to review a federal agency’s rule before it can take effect.

“Congress has the opportunity to halt California’s misguided efforts to tell other Americans what kinds of vehicles they can and cannot buy,” the letter said. “Congress should decide if such consequential rules are right for the American people and the American economy, not California.”

The California Air Resources Board has not responded to a request for comment.