House Votes on Emissions: Rescinding EPA's Zero-Emission Trucks Approval

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to overturn the EPA's approval of California's zero-emission truck plans and its low-NOx regulation waiver. A separate vote aims to block California's plan to end gasoline-only vehicle sales by 2035. CARB argues the moves violate the Congressional Review Act.

In a significant move, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to reverse the Environmental Protection Agency's 2023 endorsement of California's initiative for an increasing number of zero-emission heavy-duty trucks.

The House concurrently voted to rescind a December EPA waiver related to California's stringent low-NOx regulation, initially greenlit during former President Joe Biden's tenure.

Additionally, the House is slated for a separate Thursday vote to potentially block California's groundbreaking plan, adopted by 11 other states, to finalize the sale of gasoline-only vehicles by 2035. This follows an EPA waiver under the Clean Air Act.

A critical aspect is whether Congress can withdraw these waivers via the Congressional Review Act, despite the Government Accountability Office's March indication that such actions are inviable under the CRA, necessitating only a Senate majority.

On Wednesday, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) declared the votes contradict both the Congressional Review Act and nonpartisan analysis from the U.S. Government Accountability Office and Senate Parliamentarian. CARB remains steadfast in its commitment to safeguard Californians' health against detrimental air pollutants.

However, Republican Representative John James criticized the rules as economically burdensome for both consumers and manufacturers, forcibly transitioning towards electric trucks and heightening costs for goods, disproportionately affecting working families and truck drivers nationwide.

Per California Governor Gavin Newsom's 2020 executive order, the state aims to require zero-emission operations for all feasible medium- and heavy-duty vehicles by 2045, moving away from diesel-powered machinery.

CARB statistics reveal that although vehicles over 14,000 pounds constitute just 3% of California's vehicular density, they contribute over 50% of nitrogen oxides and fine particle diesel emissions.

The NOx rule aspires to slash heavy-duty emissions by 90%, projecting $23 billion in health benefits from reduced illnesses and ancillary improvements.

As transportation emerges as the top U.S. greenhouse gas emissions source, constituting 29%, heavy-duty vehicles stand as the second-largest contributor at 23%.

(With inputs from agencies.)