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Washington, D.C. – September 9, 2026 – Congress has another chance to stop California from imposing costly, anti-consumer electrification rules on the rest of the country. Last year, Congress used the Congressional Review Act to reject California’s ban on new gas-powered cars and trucks. The state is still pushing the same agenda through other regulatory pathways targeting vehicles, ships, ports, lawn mowers, and other small engines.
California’s overreach threatens consumer choice, affordability, and energy reliability nationwide. The only reason the state can do this is because previous EPAs issued unlawful waivers that let California enforce its own rules. Other states have used those same waivers to copy California’s standards.
The EPA recently transmitted six California waivers to Congress for review under the Congressional Review Act which include: Advanced Clean Cars I (ACC I), Biden Administration reinstatement of ACC I, Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Standards, Small Off-Road Engine (SORE), Ocean-Going Vessels at Berth (CARB at Berth) and Commercial Harbor Craft (CHC). Your lawmakers now have a limited window to stop these mandates before they raise costs for American consumers and businesses. Last week, a coalition of trade groups including EMA and its 48 state and regional trade associations sent a letter to the Hill urging passage of the CRAs.
Why This Matters to Energy Marketers
- California is relying on older EPA waivers to force electrification mandates that shrink the liquid-fuels market.
- Rules covering passenger cars and trucks, lawn and garden equipment, ships, and ports would limit consumer choice, increase costs across the country, and undermine U.S. energy security.
- Once these waivers stand, other states can adopt the same rules, turning one state’s experiment into a de facto national policy.
Congress can use CRA resolutions of disapproval to eliminate all six waivers and permanently block these unlawful California regulations.
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