Congress moves to block EPA from phasing out gas-powered cars

What it does

This bill amends the Clean Air Act to prohibit EPA tailpipe emissions regulations from mandating specific technologies or reducing the availability of new vehicle types based on engine type. It requires the EPA to revise existing regulations within 24 months to comply with this new constraint, effectively blocking regulations that would phase out or severely limit internal combustion engine vehicles.

Why we flagged it

The bill's operative mechanism is to restrict EPA's regulatory authority under the Clean Air Act by adding a new statutory constraint on tailpipe emissions rules. While titled as a consumer-choice measure, it functions as a deregulatory rider that narrows the agency's ability to set standards that would phase out or limit internal combustion engine vehicles.

What the text implies

• The 24-month revision mandate forces EPA to retroactively weaken or rescind existing tailpipe standards (including 2023–2024 rules already in effect), creating regulatory uncertainty and potential litigation over vested reliance interests.
• The 'limited availability' language is ambiguous: it may bar EPA from setting standards that any manufacturer claims would reduce their market share, effectively giving industry veto power over emissions rules.
• By blocking technology mandates, the bill may prevent EPA from requiring adoption of proven emission-control systems (catalytic converters, particulate filters, SCR systems), allowing manufacturers to meet standards through less effective means or not at all.
• The bill does not exempt existing regulations predating January 1, 2021, but the 24-month revision window targets post-2021 rules, suggesting intent to unwind Biden-era vehicle electrification standards without explicitly naming them.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill restricts EPA's authority to set emissions standards that would reduce tailpipe pollution, shifting health and environmental costs onto the public. While framed as consumer choice, the operative effect is to preserve the availability of higher-emission vehicles, increasing air pollution exposure and associated respiratory/cardiovascular harms, particularly in low-income and communities of color near highways and ports.

Who stands to gain

• automotive manufacturers (especially those with high ICE production)
• petroleum refiners and fuel distributors
• aftermarket emissions-defeat device suppliers

Named in the bill

EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), Clean Air Act Section 202(a)(2), automotive manufacturers, internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle sector

Where it stands

15 cosponsors: 15 Republicans.

• Mar 14, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Mar 14, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

3 lobbying clients named this bill on 3 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $3,442,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 31 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 61% of bills with at least one filing.

Tim Walberg, the sponsor, reported $825,948 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Koch Government Affairs, LLC — $2,760,000 on 1 filing
• Americans for Prosperity — $660,000 on 1 filing
• National Association of Small Trucking Companies — $22,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.