The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution Wednesday overturning the Biden administration’s approval of California’s Advanced Clean Trucks rule.
The waiver would have allowed California’s “zero-emission truck” rule to stand, which law makers said would have harmed Michigan’s trucking industry. California’s Clean Truck rule requires heavy duty vehicles be Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) by 2035. Opponents of the bill say the state legislation will increase vehicle prices for consumers, increase costs and manufacturing complexities for automakers, and convolute the regulatory environment.
U.S. Rep. John James (R-MI) introduced a resolution using the Congressional Review Act to nullify California’s legislation saying it was an overreach of state powers and an impractical mandate that threatens American consumers, small businesses and the nation’s supply chain.
“Michigan is not afraid of the future, but we demand to be a part of it. The Biden Administration left behind comply-or-die Green New Deal mandates that threaten to crush our trucking industry and drive-up costs for hardworking Americans,” James said. “I know — my family has a trucking company. Republicans are working hard to implement President Trump’s America First agenda, and the first step is repealing the rules and waivers that fueled Bideninflation.”
The resolution is supported by industry groups like the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) and Truck Renting and Leasing Association (TRALA).
“America’s small business truck dealers want to sell trucks that their customers want to buy, and those trucks must be affordable and fit their customers’ needs,” NADA said in a statement. “A one-size-fits-all ZEV mandate that restricts then bans the sale of diesel trucks would reduce customer choice without an affordable replacement and could have unintended consequences for the supply chain and the economy.”
The bill is part of a broader package introduced by the House Energy and Commerce Committee which includes legislation to reverse the Environmental Protection Agency’s approval of a waiver for California to ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles by 2035, and another to end the EPA’s approval of California’s recent nitrogen oxide engine emission standard.