The Republicans of the House, united by some Democrats, voted on Wednesday to stop California from demanding representatives to sell a growing rate of zero and heavy duty vehicles over time and preventing an effort to reduce the cloud.
The two votes were the first of the many to design by Congress Republicans who threaten California’s long -term power to set the standards of state pollution stricter than federal.
On Thursday, the House is expected to vote on whether it will prevent California from implementing those who are widely considered the most ambitious climate policy in the nation: a ban on selling car -powered cars by 2035.
Eleven other states have adopted the ban on California, which means that if it entered into force, it could move the entire US car industry to electric vehicles and accelerate a global transition.
“California should not be allowed to dictate national policy,” spokesman John Joyce, a Republican of Pennsylvania, said, supporting the abolition of California policies.
The action on measures is now moving to the Senate.
According to the 1970s fresh air law, California can receive exemptions to raise the standards of fresh air more stringent than those posed by the federal government because it historically had the most contaminated air in the nation. Federal law also allows other states to adopt California’s standards as their own, under certain circumstances.
Wednesday’s votes were a victory for fossil fuel companies and the truck industry. They had supported California’s requirement to limit nitrogen oxide from heavy duty vehicles, saying it would be overly burdensome. Nitrogen oxide is mixed in the atmosphere for ozone production and cloud at the ground level.
The House voted 231 to 191 to recall the exemption from the clean truck, with 13 Democrats participating in all Republicans. He was voted 225 to 196 to recall the nitrogen oxide limits, with 10 Democrats joining the Republicans.
California’s rules were designed to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 90 %, estimated by state regulators would produce $ 23 billion public health benefits.
Spokesman Morgan Griffith, a Republican of Virginia, called on the restrictions of nitrogen oxide “an attempt to truly destroy diesel engines”.
The killing of California’s aggressive political electric vehicles is a top priority for President Trump, who denies the established science of climate change and tried to end government support for the UN and other clean energy technologies.
“California has imposed the most ridiculous car regulations anywhere in the world, with commands moving to all electric cars,” Mr Trump said during the campaign. “I’ll end this.”
Governor Gavin Newsom, Democrat, accused the Republicans of retreated into fossil fuel interests and said their actions threatened to harm the state’s ability to protect its residents from pollution.
“Trump’s Republicans are again to make California again,” Mr Newsom said in a statement.
The main automakers have also called on Congress to stop the California ban in 2035 for natural gas cars, saying it is equivalent to an irrational command of electric vehicles that will cause car prices to increase and limit consumer choice.
Democrats and public health supporters say California’s exemptions are critical for reducing dangerous pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks to avoid the worst impact of climate change.
“The unprecedented action at home to remove the protection of fresh air away from America’s children is outrageous,” said Will Barrett, senior director of the American Lung Association.
If Republicans succeed in abolishing car and truck exemptions, “many more people will continue to get sick of exposure to ozone’s extreme pollution and some of these people will really die from it,” said Bob Yuhnke, a retired environment group.
The battle is complicated by the legal dispute over the Republican Legislative System use to prevent California policies.
The body’s votes were carried out under the Congress Act, a 1996 law that allows legislators to reverses recently adopted service regulations by a simple majority.
But earlier this month, the Senate MP ruled that the resignation from California was not a regulation and was therefore not eligible for voting under the Congress review law.
Republican leaders in the Senate now have to decide whether to take the rare step of the Member of Parliament to call for resignations for similar vote.
California’s legislators called the votes illegal and said they would question democratic efforts.
“California’s power and responsibility for regulating its own pollution is guaranteed in the federal law and has repeatedly been approved on a bilateral basis and was confirmed by years of independent review,” said Senator Adam Schiff, Democratic of California.
“We will combat this latest attack on California’s power to protect its residents and urge my colleagues to the Senate to recognize the serious consequences of proceeding with this violation of state rights, as well as the dangerous precedent that would put it.
The Newsom Governor called the “Lawless” votes and added: “The vehicle program helps us to clean the air for all Californians and we will continue to defend it.”
Republicans had made the assumption that because of California’s economic influence, car exemption put a de facto national policy that should be treated as a regulation. However, two decisions by the Government Bureau, the Congress’s arm, found differently.
California has received hundreds of exemptions over the years and no one has been presented in Congress for voting – so far.
