Green Energy — News & Analysis

Congress revokes California's EV mandate; Trump signs it — "they're never coming back" (June 12, 2025)

June 12, 2025 — President Trump signed three Congressional Review Act resolutions revoking the EPA's longstanding Clean Air Act waiver that allowed California to set its own, more stringent vehicle emissions standards — including the state's landmark Advanced Clean Cars II regulation mandating that 100 percent of new passenger car sales be zero-emission by 2035 — along with waivers for California's Advanced Clean Trucks rule and nitrogen oxide emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles. "We officially rescue the U.S. auto industry from destruction by terminating California's electric vehicle mandate," Trump said at the signing ceremony. "And they're never coming back."

California's authority to set its own vehicle standards, enshrined in the 1967 Clean Air Act, had never previously been overridden by the federal government. The waiver had been adopted by 12 additional states — including Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington — meaning the rollback directly affected vehicle standards for a large share of the U.S. auto market. The Government Accountability Office, the Senate Parliamentarian, and many legal scholars had said Congress lacked the authority to revoke the waivers via the Congressional Review Act. California immediately sued, with Attorney General Rob Bonta filing suit against Trump and EPA Administrator Zeldin the same day the resolutions were signed.

Governor Gavin Newsom responded by signing an executive order directing the California Air Resources Board to begin drafting Advanced Clean Cars III — the state's next-generation emissions regulation — effectively restarting the process. By mid-2025, more than 22 percent of new vehicles sold in California were already zero-emission or plug-in hybrid, and industry observers noted that automakers had already committed billions to EV development that would not easily be reversed.