The U.S. Senate on Thursday joined the House in voting to revoke strict state-level emissions standards enacted by California's Air Resources Board (CARB).
Joint Resolutions 87 and 89, each passing by a narrow margin Thursday afternoon, formally provide congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rules submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to California Truck Emission Standards (CARB's Omnibus rule) and California Truck NOx Emission Standards (CARB's Advanced Clean Trucks regulations), respectively.
The measures now head to President Donald Trump's desk for signature – likely a formality as both he and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin have committed to regulatory rollback.
"The trucking industry is no longer shackled by these unattainable regulatory standards set by unelected officials in California," Clean Freight Coalition Executive Director Jim Mullen told CCJ. "To be clear: the trucking industry will continue to pursue an 'all of the above' strategy to reduce commercial vehicle emissions, while at the same time protecting the supply chain and the economy."
President Trump's signature won't completely settle California's ability to set its own emissions regulations – at least not in the near term. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Thursday the state would file a lawsuit in an effort to block Congress from taking the state’s ability to set its own emission rules and overturning the rules already enacted.
Mullen said his group, an alliance of truck transportation stakeholders committed to a clean energy future for America’s trucking industry, was grateful to congressional leadership for rescinding "the Biden EPA’s waivers for California’s disastrous ACT and NOx regulations."
“California is the breeding ground of all bad public policy, and it’s long past time that our nation’s leadership in Washington stop abdicating its responsibility to unelected, cubicle-dwelling bureaucrats in Sacramento who have no understanding of the real world and how it works,” added American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear. “Today’s Senate vote sends a resounding message nationwide that this is not the United States of California, nor will it ever be.”
California Senator Alex Padilla chastised his peers from the floor Thursday afternoon for passing bills that "gut California's Clean Air Act," and for “actions that (make clear) Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are stopping at nothing to attack California…for having the audacity to lead the clean energy economy."
ACT, which has been adopted by 11 states, requires medium- and heavy-duty truck manufacturers to sell increasing percentages of zero-emission vehicles from 2024-2035. Those rules have already affected fleets in participating states ability to purchase new trucks – diesels and battery electric.
The Low NOx Omnibus rule, which has been adopted by 10 states, imposes stringent emissions standards on new truck sales.
Every state scheduled to adopt California’s rules in 2025-26 other than California has delayed them to 2027, modified them (a violation of the Clean Air Act), or is actively considering similar actions. The remaining ACT states already have an adoption date of 2027.
"The repeal of these poorly planned measures is a testament to the voice that our membership has provided and the resolve of our industry to tell our story," said David Heller, senior vice president of safety and government affairs for the Truckload Carriers Association. "As a major issue during TCA’s 2024 Call-on-Washington, we emphasized the very notion that these rules would have been crippling to our nation’s supply chain and an obstacle to an industry that thrives on delivering a nation."
CARB effectively waved the white flag on its Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) rule in January when it withdrew its request for a waiver with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and this month said it would repeal the regulation as part of a lawsuit from a coalition of 17 states, led by Nebraska, and the Nebraska Trucking Association, who sued to block the ACF rule.
Zeldin said in March his office would also reconsider the federal Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles – Phase 3 (GHG3) final rule, and revisit portions of the Biden-era "Clean Trucks Plan," which includes the 2022 Heavy-Duty Nitrous Oxide (NOx) rule.
