Quote:
Originally Posted by RNajarian
The federal government can set a standard, states are allowed to set the standard higher.
It’s a State’s rights issue. The rolling exemption seems reasonable, Schwarzenegger should have never stopped it . . . but like Tobra, I’m skeptical the new bill will pass.
Too many tree huggers in CA.
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Its not that cut and dry. California clean air laws operate under EPA waivers which are granted by the Federal government. In other words CA cant arbitrarily create environmental laws without going through the EPA first. In this case, what's being considered it clawing back the EPA waiver which allows CA to set its own emission standards.
A very recent example is the Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) act, which was a bill proposing all trucks operating in the state of Ca would need to be zero emission by 2035. CARB tried to push this with everything they had but there was simply too much pushback, from organizations like the California Trucking Association. CARB thought they had this in the bag, even sending out tons of informationals to trucking companies throughout the state, but was basically slapped down by the EPA. No waiver, ACF is dead.
If CARB’s authority is removed, automakers would only need to design cars for one federal standard instead of making separate versions. CARB-compliant parts (like catalytic converters) are much more expensive than non-CARB versions. S.711 could reduce the cost of manufacturing, widen aftermarket options, increase competition, and lower repair costs, making both vehicles and parts more affordable. The auto repair and custom car industry make up over 750 billion dollars combined, so there is incentive to consider this given the current administration.