SEEC Blasts Republican Attack on California’s Right to Clean Air

Washington, D.C. – The leaders of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), including Co-Chairs Reps. Doris Matsui, Mike Quigley, and Paul Tonko and Vice Chairs Reps. Don Beyer, Suzanne Bonamici, Sean Casten, Mike Levin, and Chellie Pingree, released the following statement in response to House Republican’s passage of three resolutions (H.J.Res. 87, H.J.Res. 88, and H.J.Res. 89) that eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Air Act waivers for California’s Advanced Clean Trucks, Advanced Clean Cars II, and Heavy-Duty Low NOx Omnibus rules. 

“Republicans control all levers of federal government, but rather than using those levers to make the lives of everyday Americans better, House Republicans have instead decided to unlawfully undermine California’s legal right to address air pollution within its borders, jeopardizing Californians’ access to clean air and threatening to undo decades of progress. This week's votes are a testament to Republicans’ extreme hypocrisy, paying lip service to states’ rights while attempting to stop California from protecting its own residents. This extremist crusade against California’s clean air regulations comes at a moment when the stakes for public health and a clean economy could not be any higher. 

“For more than 50 years, California has set its own standards for vehicle pollution. The Clean Air Act grants California this authority because California’s pollution standards predated federal standards and because of the particular challenges the state faces with air pollution. The state has used this longstanding authority more than 100 times to dramatically reduce the deadly smog and other toxic air pollution that once hung over California, and California’s leadership has helped to set the country on the path towards cleaner, safer cars and healthier communities. Cleaner transportation means that our families and children are less likely to have health problems associated with air pollution, such as asthma attacks, strokes, heart disease, cancer, and premature death. Global markets and the American consumer are clearly demanding cleaner, cheaper transportation options, which scares fossil fuel companies to death. And so, House Republicans are rushing to their aid, using every tool in their toolbox to restrict Americans’ ability to purchase cleaner, cheaper vehicles.  

“This isn’t just an attack on California – it’s an attack on every American who wants clean air and more affordable vehicle options. Air pollution costs lives – that shouldn’t be controversial or confusing for House Republicans. Yet, they continue to bow down to their polluting donors at the price of American lives.”