What to know about the US Senate’s effort to block vehicle-emission rules in California
May 21, 2025
The U.S. Senate is moving forward with an effort to block California’s nation-leading standards for vehicle emissions. The move targets proposals banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035, phasing out diesel-powered medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and curbing smog-forming pollution from trucks. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the chamber plans to take up proposals to halt the rules this week. It comes weeks after the House voted to block the rules. The proposals are the latest in a long battle over California’s authority to set emissions standards that are stricter than the federal government’s.
