Chair Castor Praises EPA Move To Promote State Innovation On Reducing Car Pollution

WASHINGTON - Chair Kathy Castor of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis released the following statement on Wednesday, after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it would restore the 2013 Clean Air Act (CAA) waiver that had allowed California to enforce its greenhouse gas (GHG) standards for cars and light-duty trucks and its zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) sales mandate:

“Electric vehicles and fuel-efficient cars save families money, clean up the air, and protect public health," said Chair Kathy Castor. “And states like California are playing a leading role in expanding the reach of clean vehicles and addressing the climate crisis, which has allowed them to attract investment to their communities and create local manufacturing jobs.

“Today’s announcement by the Biden Administration is another step in the right direction, encouraging and supporting state efforts to solve the climate crisis and ensure clean air for their residents. I applaud EPA Administrator Michael Regan for restoring the California waiver, which will ensure that states can continue to innovate on strategies to reduce pollution from motor vehicles.” 

Background: 

• In January 2013, EPA granted a waiver to California from the Clean Air Act's provision prohibiting states from enacting emission standards for new motor vehicles.
• With the waiver, California was able to enforce the GHG standards and ZEV mandate in its Advanced Clean Cars program for light-duty vehicles.
• On September 29, 2019, under the Trump Administration, EPA and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration jointly issued the SAFE-1 rule, withdrawing the 2013 waiver.

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Background:

• In June of 2020, the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Democrats released the majority staff report Solving the Climate Crisis: The Congressional Action Plan for a Clean Energy Economy and a Healthy, Resilient, and Just America. This report provides a roadmap for Congress—a Climate Crisis Action Plan—to build a prosperous, clean energy economy that values workers, advances environmental justice, and is prepared to meet the challenges of the climate crisis.
• House Democrats have already passed more than 375 of the recommendations in the Climate Crisis Action Plan, and have successfully worked to turn over 200 of them into law.