The winding series of Senate procedural votes that went late into the evening could have profound implications for California’s longstanding efforts to reduce air pollution. It also established a new, narrow exception to the Senate filibuster even as Republicans have insisted that they won’t try to change Senate rules.
Democrats strongly objected to the move, delaying the votes for hours as Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., cleared the way procedurally for Republicans to bring up three House-passed resolutions that would block the rules. The Senate could pass the resolutions later this week.
At issue are the three California rules — phasing out gas-powered cars, cutting tailpipe emissions from medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and curbing smog-forming nitrogen oxide pollution from trucks.
Not really. Congress can revoke the ability of CA to have stricter standards but they can’t force them to continue to register IC engine vehicles.
CA still controls which vehicles they will register within the state. They can’t prevent someone from driving into the state with a different registration but they already don’t have to register a project car from Colorado that doesn’t have fenders. Even Texas can refuse to register that project car. This is already established.
Oh, and they can impound that fenderless project car from Colorado for not meeting their road regulations.
Which would only affect CA, as you pointed out. It would do nothing but hurt CA.