BILLS TO MAKE “ CALIFORNIA SMOGGY AGAIN” PASS HOUSE, ISSA VOTES YES

Despite improvements in San Diego's air pollution overall, San Diego ranks worst in the U.S. for ozone pollution, per to a new report from the American Lung Association, making our region one of the most polluted areas in the U.S. 

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Los Angeles smog in 2006, before California's clean vehicle emissions laws dramatically cleaned up the air.  Image by David Iliff, CC license

May 4, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – House Republicans have pushed through three bills to repeal California’s Clean Air Act waivers, which have allowed our state to have stricter vehicle emission standards than the rest of the nation, resulting in dramatically cleaner air. 

Governor Gavin Newsom has blasted the measures as both illegal and aimed at “making California smoggy again.” 

Since the Clean Air Act was passed under Republican Richard Nixon’s administration in 1970, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has granted California over 100 waivers for its clean air and climate efforts.

The results have been dramatic, as this reporter can personally attest. Before the rollout of California’s landmark air pollution standards—the strictest in the nation,  I passed out from breathing in very smoggy air while walking in Los Angeles and had to be revived by paramedics. I moved away from L.A. soon after, but on return trips there in recent decades the air has been visibly much cleaner.

Since 2000, the waivers have helped California reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, while the state’s gross domestic product (GDP), a key economic indicator, rose 78%.  Last year, California ran on 100% clean energy at least partially for two out of every three days.

Waivers have made a big difference for San Diegans, though our air quality still has serious pollution problems.

The San Diego metro region saw a major improvement in fine particle pollution, which dropped 4.6% from 2014-16 to 2022-23 due largely to waivers granted by the EPA under the Obama administration.

But  San Diego’s ozone pollution is among the worst in the U.S., making it one of the smoggiest areas in the country, according to a new report from the American Lung Association. 

San Diego’s Republican Congressman Darrell Issa voted yes on all three measures, which are pending in the Senate, while San Diego’s four Democratic representatives all voted against it.

Issa took $14,500 in campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry during his most recent campaign,according to Open Secrets. California's effort to transition to electric vehicles has been opposed by the oil and gas industry, since it would sharply reduce use of fossil fuels that pollute the air.

The bills are:

HR 89: If enacted, if would end the EPA’’s waiver for nitrogen oxide engine emission standards, taking aim at California’s push for zero-emission trucks.

HR 88:  If enacted it would nullify the Biden administration’s waiver that allows California to phase-out gasoline-powered vehicles and transition to electric vehicles with zero emissions.

HJR 87 takes aim at California’s rules for heavy-duty trucks and advanced clean trucks, and zero emission airport shuttles.

Energy and Commerce Cahir Brett Guthrie, a Kentucky Republican, stated,”The American people should choose what vehicle is right for them, not California bureaucrats.”

EV mandates could inflict “damage to the country’s economy” by harming parts suppliees for internal combustion engines, the Specialty Equipment Market Association has said.

But California Attorney General Rob Bonta calls House Republican’s efforts to repeal California’s clean vehicle program using the Congressional Review Act is “unlawful,” noting that the CRA was designed to allow Congressional oversight of new rules by federal agencies—not partisan attacks. Bonta notes that for 50 years, California has exercised its right under the federal Clean Air Act to pursue solutions to the state’s persistent air pollution.

The Government Accounting Office (GAO), the Congressional watchdog office, as well as the Senate Parliamentarian, have both ruled that the CRA’s process does not apply to these EPA waivers.

“The only thing that’s changed is that big polluters and the right-wing propaganda machine have succeeded in buying off the Republican Party,” Governor Newsom says, “and now the House is using a tactic that the Senate’s own parliamentarian has said is lawless.”

California’s Governor concludes, “Our vehicles program helps clean the air for all Californians, and we will continue to defend it.”