HYDE-SMITH BACKS BILL TO CURB CALIFORNIA’S OUTSIZED INFLUENCE OVER NATIONAL EMISSIONS STANDARDS
‘Stop CARB Act’ Target’s California’s Ability to Force Other States to Comply with Radical Environmental Policies
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) is an original cosponsor of legislation that would curb California’s ability to effectively force Mississippi farmers, industries, and consumers to comply with its radical environmental policies.
Hyde-Smith is an original cosponsor of the Stop California from Advancing Regulatory Burden Act (Stop CARB Act) to rein in California’s outsized influence over national emissions standards. It would eliminate California’s ability to receive Clean Air Act waiver exemptions and nullify any pending waiver request. U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) introduced the bill.
“The people of California might accept heavy-handed state regulations that dictate how they live, but Mississippians shouldn’t have to,” Hyde-Smith said. “California has effectively weaponized its Clean Air Act waiver powers to force other states to adhere to more radical environmental rules. It’s time to end this abuse.”
“By abusing the Clean Air Act’s waiver provision, California is effectively legislating for the entire nation. This overreach is disrupting supply chains, resulting in higher costs for families, a reduction of consumer choice, and increased shipping expenses,” Lee said. “Congress never intended for one state to dictate emissions policy for the entire country. The Stop CARB Act will ensure that California’s regulatory reach stops at its own borders. We must restore balance and accountability to our regulatory system.”
For decades, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has used federal waivers under the Clean Air Act to set unreasonably stringent emissions standards. The state has more than 100 active waivers as it continues to issue new standards mandating an early EV transition, force gas-powered vehicles off the roads, pressure locomotive engines off the rails, and affect the sale of farming and construction equipment in California.
The Stop CARB Act (S.5038) would:
• Repeal California’s waiver exemption in Section 209 of the Clean Air Act.
• Repeal Section 177 of the Clean Air Act, which allows other states to adopt California’s emissions standards.
• Nullify any active or pending waivers granted to California.
Additional original cosponsors include U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.). U.S. Representative Troy E. Nehls (R-Texas) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.
S.5038 is supported by Heritage Action, Americans for Prosperity, American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, Competitive Enterprise Institute, and Association of American Railroads.
Click here to read a one-page summary of the Stop CARB Act.
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