Today, the House of Representatives passed a motion to rescind California’s Clean Air Act waivers, advancing the legally dubious effort despite a recent ruling from the Senate parliamentarian reaffirming the waivers are not subject to repeal under the Congressional Review Act. In response, Evergreen Action Vice President for States Justin Balik released the following statement:

“House Republicans have officially launched an all-out assault on the Clean Air Act —targeting California’s decades-old authority to set stronger vehicle pollution standards and lead on climate. By ramming this effort through the full House, they are defying the Senate parliamentarian’s and GAO’s clear guidance and siding with polluters over public health. It’s a brazen move that puts their allegiance to fossil fuel interests over environmental law and long-standing precedent on full display. 

“This vote is a direct attack on the laws that empower states to protect their residents from toxic pollution. Let’s be clear: House Republicans just knowingly voted to strip protections away from the communities that have long borne the heaviest toll of transportation pollution. California’s authority to set its own clean car standards has been maintained and upheld across administrations and in courts because they work and are completely lawful. Stripping states of that authority would set a dangerous precedent, weakening one of our most effective tools for cutting pollution and safeguarding public health.”