‘Unconstitutional. Illegal. Foolish.’ - Federal Decision to Overturn California Clean Air Rules. We agree.

The Electric Vehicle Association is disturbed by the U.S. Senate's willingness to overlook its own rules in order to attack states’ rights - in this case, California's right to govern its air quality. We support the California Air Resource’s Board’s (CARB) position and offer our support in the fight to reverse this injustice.

As CARB leaders noted, the Senate vote on Thursday undermines critical clean air protections. “It’s an assault on states’ rights the federal administration claims to support that puts national air quality standards out of reach and will have devastating effects for the 150 million Americans who breathe unhealthy air every day.”

We agree that the Senate’s decision is contrary to the text of the Congressional Review Act, as recognized by the nonpartisan U.S. Government Accountability Office and the Senate Parliamentarian.

EVA supports the state of California, where officials said they will pursue every available remedy to challenge the decision by the Senate and defend the state’s right to protect the public from dangerous air pollution for gas- and diesel-powered vehicles.

“Turning the clock back on both cleaner combustion engine requirements and zero-emission technology is an attack on clean air. This short-sighted political move is another strike against the long-term competitiveness of the U.S. auto industry in a global market that is rapidly advancing toward cleaner combustion technology as well as zero-emission vehicles,” according to a CARB statement.

Photo Credit: CARB