Move to revoke California EV rules threatens state authority on clean air
Electric vehicle mandates in California and 11 other states face rollback after a Senate vote backed by President Trump, raising legal questions and potentially slowing the nation’s transition away from fossil fuels.
Francine Kiefer reports for The Christian Science Monitor.
In short:
- The U.S. Senate voted to revoke California’s authority to enforce electric vehicle (EV) sales mandates, a move expected to be signed into law by President Trump, sparking legal action from the state.
- Since the 1970s, California has been allowed to set its own emissions standards due to severe air pollution, leading other states to adopt its rules and pushing automakers to develop cleaner technologies.
- Critics argue the EV mandate moves too quickly for markets and infrastructure to handle; while EV sales in California are rising, they still fall short of the state’s aggressive targets.
Key quote:
“We won’t stand by as Trump Republicans make America smoggy again — undoing work that goes back to the days of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan — all while ceding our economic future to China.”
— Gavin Newsom, governor of California
Why this matters:
California’s authority to set stricter emission standards has shaped national auto policy for decades, with ripple effects for health, technology, and global competitiveness. The push to revoke that power could stall efforts to reduce ozone pollution, which aggravates asthma and other respiratory illnesses. It also threatens the nation’s ability to compete with China, whose growing EV industry is rapidly gaining global market share. Weakening clean car rules may jeopardize progress on lowering premature deaths and hospitalizations linked to air pollution. While EV infrastructure and battery tech continue to evolve, a patchwork of policies and rollback of incentives could undercut momentum in states leading the energy transition.
Learn more: Senate GOP maneuvers to block California’s plan to ban gas cars by 2035
