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Fate of California's auto standards will come down to Senate battle
Los Angeles Times ^ | May 1, 2025 10:09 AM PT | Michael Wilner

Posted on 05/01/2025 11:29:09 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum

WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives took a trio of votes this week targeting California’s decades-old authority to enforce its own environmental standards, setting the stage for a significant standoff in the U.S. Senate, where Democrats say Republican leaders would have to defy long-standing congressional order to get the measures passed.

The votes called into question California’s waiver from the Clean Air Act of 1970, an authority that has allowed the state to set stricter pollution guidelines and empowered its leaders to set an alternative standard on car emissions to those of the federal government.

On Thursday, Republicans in the House, joined by a handful of Democrats, voted to prohibit California from banning gas-powered cars by 2035. The day before, the House voted along similar lines to end California’s ability to set emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks and to combat smog levels in the state.

For decades, automakers have bent their car production lines to meet California mileage standards, in part due to the size of the California market and in part because the industry has found it a safer bet — with changes in power so common in Washington — to be more stringent on fuel efficiency standards than the alternative.

But since President Trump took office, the Environmental Protection Agency has questioned whether that authority amounts to a technical “rule” that allows for the Senate to disapprove of the waiver with a simple majority vote, under the Congressional Review Act.

Over the last two months, two independent offices — the Senate parliamentarian and the Government Accountability Office, or GAO — have found that California’s waiver authority is not subject to review under the Congressional Review Act.

California’s waiver, the GAO said, is “not a rule” under the law, noting that the matter had been reviewed multiple times over...

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Government
KEYWORDS:

1 posted on 05/01/2025 11:29:09 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

two independent offices — the Senate parliamentarian and the Government Accountability Office, or GAO“

Independent my a$$. Both rat controlled.


2 posted on 05/01/2025 11:50:40 AM PDT by iamgalt
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Another California crazy item is the may cause cancer warning on everything from bottled water to condoms. The law reads if you have the warning you can’t be sued by some crazy. If you don’t have the warning anyone can sue and because you didn’t warn people a California court just might find you liable. Because EVERYTHING causes cancer.


3 posted on 05/01/2025 11:55:37 AM PDT by Gen.Blather (I had a tagline and I dropped it. The cat back-pawed it under the Barcalounger. )
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To: Gen.Blather

It only causes cancer in the state of California, if you “yoda-ize” the syntax on those warning labels.


4 posted on 05/01/2025 12:13:41 PM PDT by Disambiguator
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

As I understand it, several states have surrendered their sovereignty to the unelected California Air Resources Board in that they’ve agreed to be bound by its decisions.


5 posted on 05/01/2025 12:54:41 PM PDT by hanamizu ( )
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To: E. Pluribus Unum; All
Thank you for referencing that article E. Pluribus Unum.

"Fate of California's auto standards will come down to Senate battle"


FR: Never Accept the Premise of Your Opponent’s Argument

Los Angeles Times "forgot" to mention that while it would arguably be a good idea for the states to give the feds the express constitutional power to police the environment, it remains that the the have never given the unconstitutionally big federal government the specific power to do so.

"From the accepted doctrine that the United States is a government of delegated powers, it follows that those not expressly granted, or reasonably to be implied from such as are conferred, are reserved to the states, or to the people. To forestall any suggestion to the contrary, the Tenth Amendment was adopted. The same proposition, otherwise stated, is that powers not granted are prohibited [emphasis added]." —United States v. Butler, 1936.

Los Angeles Times also forgot to mention that Congress has been scandalously ignoring its constitutionally enumerated duty to guarantee each state a republican form of government, evidenced by renegade California state government and other such states.

"Article IV, Section 4: The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government [emphasis added], and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence."

For example, regardless what environmentalists want, I wouldn't be surprised if majority of California voters would choose to be happy with their gas-powered vehicles, California officials again probably encouraging EV owners to charge their EV only at certain times so as not to crash the power grid during peak use this summer for example.

Also note that patriot voters could have replaced the corrupt Senate with all new faces twice+ by now since Obama's first midterm, but have been asleep at the wheel. And we are still being oppressed under the boots of elite desperate Democratic and RINO career representatives.

“Cherish, therefore, the spirit of our people, and keep alive their attention. If once they become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress and Assemblies, judges and governors, shall all become wolves [emphasis added]. It seems to be the law of our general nature.” - Thomas Jefferson (Letter to Edward Carrington January 16, 1787)

Are we having fun yet? 8^P

6 posted on 05/01/2025 1:26:47 PM PDT by Amendment10
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To: hanamizu

WA illegally submits much of its’ governance to Sacramento.


7 posted on 05/01/2025 1:46:16 PM PDT by A strike (ICE ICE baby !)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
But since President Trump took office, the Environmental Protection Agency has questioned whether that authority amounts to a technical “rule” that allows for the Senate to disapprove of the waiver with a simple majority vote, under the Congressional Review Act.

Over the last two months, two independent offices — the Senate parliamentarian and the Government Accountability Office, or GAO — have found that California’s waiver authority is not subject to review under the Congressional Review Act.


WHO CARES. Push to remove the waiver. If the Dems want to filibuster this and force the 60-vote, LET THEM. Either they won't block it and it'll go through, or they can fight them and there's great ads to be made that the Dems are forcing you to pay more for a car because of CA regulations!
8 posted on 05/02/2025 7:41:32 AM PDT by Svartalfiar (-)
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