Congress moves to block California's stricter vehicle pollution rules
S.J.Res. 45 — A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to "California State Motor Vehicle and Engine Pollution Control Standards; Advanced Clean Cars II; Waiver of Preemption; Notice of Decision". · Filed by Shelley Capito (R-WV) · 31 cosponsors · Introduced Apr 4, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This resolution uses the Congressional Review Act to block an EPA decision that allowed California to set its own vehicle pollution standards stricter than federal rules. The rule, finalized in January 2025, granted California a waiver to enforce Advanced Clean Cars II standards (requiring more zero-emission vehicles). If passed, the resolution would nullify that waiver, preventing California from enforcing stricter pollution controls and reverting to federal standards.
Why we flagged it
This is a straightforward Congressional Review Act disapproval resolution targeting an EPA environmental rule. It uses the CRA's expedited process to block a regulatory action without amendment or debate, effectively deregulating vehicle pollution standards by restoring federal preemption over state authority.
What the text implies
- If passed, this resolution would trigger the CRA's 'same rule' prohibition, preventing EPA from issuing a substantially similar rule without new congressional authorization—effectively locking in federal preemption for vehicle pollution standards.
- The resolution targets only the waiver decision, not the underlying Advanced Clean Cars II rule itself, meaning the federal standard remains in place but California cannot exceed it.
- Disapproval would affect not only California but also the 10+ states that have adopted California's vehicle emission standards under Section 209 of the Clean Air Act, rolling back stricter pollution controls across a significant portion of the U.S. vehicle market.
- The 31 Republican cosponsors suggest strong partisan alignment on deregulation; passage would require Democratic support or a veto override, making this a high-stakes environmental policy battle.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Ordinary citizens lose access to cleaner air in California and states that follow its standards. The resolution blocks stricter vehicle pollution controls, allowing more emissions and worsening air quality and public health outcomes. Automakers benefit from lower compliance costs, but the public bears the health and environmental cost.
Who stands to gain
- automotive manufacturers
- fossil fuel producers
- oil and gas refineries
Named in the bill
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), California Air Resources Board (CARB), Advanced Clean Cars II program, Section 209 of the Clean Air Act, Congressional Review Act (Chapter 8, Title 5, U.S. Code), 90 Federal Register 642
Where it stands
31 cosponsors: 31 Republicans.
- Apr 4, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- Apr 4, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
1 lobbying clients named this bill on 2 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Mar 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $675,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 8 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 0% of bills with at least one filing.
Shelley Capito, the sponsor, reported $2,021,591 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- American International Automobile Dealers Association — $675,000 on 2 filings
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 22, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,702 characters) on Jun 3, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Mar 2026 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 22, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
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