The Hill: US Senate Has Struck Down California’s Controversial EV Legislation
SEMA supports measure that blocks plans of California & 11 other states to discontinue sales of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035…
It appears long-term sales of new gasoline-powered vehicles will continue across the country, as U.S. political website The Hill reports that Congress has struck down California’s controversial emissions regulations that have been referred to as an electric vehicle (EV) mandate.
In 2022, California used the Clean Air Act to institute a mandate that said the state would no longer allow sales of gas-powered cars by 2035. The plan was quickly adopted by 11 other states. According to a report in The Hill, the U.S. Senate has voted to block the mandate. The measure is now headed to President Trump’s desk, and he is expected to sign it, according to the report.
Unsurprisingly, the vote to strike down the EV mandate did not come without controversy. According to The Hill, the Republican-led Senate ignored a ruling from the parliamentarian stating that a simple majority could not overturn the measure. Instead, both the House and Senate used the Congressional Review Act (CRA), which allows recently approved regulations to be killed with a simple majority. The Hill went on to report that the Senate didn’t overturn the EV mandate itself, but the Biden administration’s approval of the mandate. You can read the full story on The Hill.
SEMA Responds to EV Mandate Ruling
The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) released a statement in reaction to the vote to kill the legislation titled “SEMA Celebrates End of EV Mandates in the U.S.” The statement included the following quote from Mike Spagnola, SEMA president and CEO:
“SEMA thanks the lawmakers from both sides of the aisle who stood up for Americans’ freedom to determine which vehicles are best for them. We thank those in the nation’s community of automotive enthusiasts and the aftermarket businesses who engaged in the advocacy process, many for the first time, to remind lawmakers that this is the United States of America, not the United States of California. Congress’ vote gives the nation’s automotive marketplace much-needed stability, which will deliver renewed investment and sufficient resources to aid our industry in doing what we do best: innovating the future of automotive technology.”
SEMA has stated that it is not anti-EV, but instead “champions a technology-neutral approach that fosters innovation and ingenuity.” You can read the full SEMA statement here.
