CEI sends letter to Senate regarding California waiver CRA resolutions

The US Senate has a unique opportunity to overturn what may well be the most egregious case of unlawful bureaucratic overreach of the past 50 years or more. The EPA’s recent grant of three Clean Air Act (CAA) preemption waivers to California transform the state’s environmental agency, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) into a non-authorized National Industrial Policy Czar for Climate and Cars.

The waivers, in varying degrees, expressly or effectively ban sales of gas- and diesel-powered cars and trucks. This agenda threatens to price millions of Americans out of the market for new cars, undermine US auto industry competitiveness by forcing manufacturers to phase out most of their top-selling models, and rob Americans of their freedom to purchase the types of vehicles that best meet their needs. To safeguard vehicle affordability, automotive choice, and the rule of law, the Senate should join the House and quickly pass S.J. Res 45, S.J. Res. 46, and S.J. Res. 47.

Today, CEI sent a letter (included below) to the Senate making these points. My colleague Daren Bakst and I concluded the letter arguing:

There is no overstating the importance of passing these resolutions. The expansive scope and devastating effects of the waivers have aroused bipartisan opposition. Fortunately, the CRA gives the Senate a real chance to protect Americans from an unlawful, harmful, anti-consumer choice agenda. A failure to seize this opportunity would be tragic. Passing the resolutions of disapproval would be one of the most meaningful actions the Senate has taken in recent memory to reassert Congress’s authority to make the laws of the land and stop agency overreach.

Let’s hope the Senate passes the resolutions.