The Senate on Thursday approved a resolution to revoke California’s federal waiver that permits the state—and several other Democrat-led states—to mandate electric vehicle sales, marking a setback for environmental activists advocating for green energy and climate change initiatives.
The resolution, introduced in April by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), passed in a bipartisan 51-44 vote. Only one Democrat, Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, joined all voting Republicans in supporting the measure. Five senators were absent, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
“The impact of California’s waiver would have been felt across the country, harming multiple sectors of our economy and costing hundreds of thousands of jobs in the process,” said Capito, who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
The vote marks a major setback for California, which enacted its electric vehicle mandate in 2022, and for climate advocates who strongly defended the policy. After passing the law, California sought federal approval under the 1970 Clean Air Act, which allows the state to obtain a waiver to enforce stricter vehicle emissions standards than federal regulations—standards that other states can also choose to adopt.
In December, the Biden administration granted the waiver as one of its final climate-related actions, clearing the way for implementation of the mandate, which a dozen states have since adopted. Under the rule, automakers must begin meeting rising quotas for electric vehicle sales starting later this year, culminating in a full transition by 2035, when the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles would be banned, said the outlet.
Thursday’s vote also represents a political win for President Donald Trump and others who oppose mandates requiring consumers to purchase electric vehicles. On the campaign trail, Trump criticized the push for EVs, calling the “crazed concept of ‘all Electric Cars’” a threat to auto workers and warning it could severely harm Michigan’s automotive industry.
Trump is expected to sign the resolution into law in the coming weeks. The House approved it with a 246–164 vote, as 35 Democrats joined all 211 voting Republicans in supporting the measure, the Free Beacon noted.
“The fact is these EV sales mandates were never achievable,” John Bozzella, the president and CEO of auto industry group the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, said in a statement Thursday. “Automakers warned federal and state policymakers that reaching these EV sales targets would take a miracle, especially in the coming years when the mandates get exponentially tougher.”
“There’s a significant gap between the marketplace and these EV sales requirements,” he continued. Recent data from Bozzella’s group indicates that approximately 8.1 percent of total new car sales in the U.S. were battery electric last year, reflecting a 0.5 percent increase from the previous year.
