Golden votes to roll back California EV mandates that could take options away from Mainers

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) voted this week to roll back several waivers from the Environmental Protection Agency that allowed California to set aggressive, unrealistic new electric vehicle (EV) standards that would effectively ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles in several states across the country, potentially including Maine.

“Maine families and small businesses should be able to buy vehicles that meet their needs, whether that’s a diesel truck or an EV,” Golden said. “The EV market is growing steadily and will continue to grow without new regulations that take options away from people looking to purchase their next vehicle.” 

Golden voted today in favor of three resolutions under the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to overturn federal agency rules. Each resolution involved EPA waivers approved by the Biden Administration under the Clean Air Act (CAA), which allows California to adopt more aggressive emissions reduction standards than the floor set by federal law.

The CAA permits other states to adopt California’s emissions rules, thereby allowing California to set new standards for the rest of the country. Currently, there are 17 other states (including Maine) that have historically sought to adhere to California’s emissions standards.

The resolutions included: 

• H.J.Res. 88, voted on today, which would revoke an EPA waiver allowing California to require all new passenger vehicles sold to be zero emissions by 2035. The bill passed in a bipartisan vote of 246-164.
• H.J.Res. 87, voted on yesterday, which would revoke an EPA waiver allowing California to require manufacturers to produce and sell increasing percentages of zero-emission trucks by 2035. The bill passed in a bipartisan vote of 231-191.
• H.J.Res. 89, voted on yesterday, which would revoke an EPA waiver allowing California to reduce the permissible nitrogen oxide emissions from medium- and heavy-duty trucks. The bill passed in a bipartisan vote of 225-196.

Each resolution will have to pass the Senate and be signed by the president to repeal the respective waivers. 

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