U.S. Senate votes to end California's EV mandate

NEW YORK, May 22 (Xinhua) -- The GOP-led U.S. Senate voted on Thursday to take away California's ability to set its own tailpipe emissions standards, effectively killing the country's biggest driver of electric vehicle investment.

The vote was 51-44. The move nullifies a measure, enacted by the state in 2022 and later adopted by 11 other states, banning the sale of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035. The House of Representatives already passed the same resolution. Now it heads to U.S. President Donald Trump for his signature.

"U.S. carmakers and auto dealers argued that keeping in place the waiver, which permits California to set stricter emissions rules than the federal government, could cripple the industry by forcing sales of cars the public doesn't want in mass numbers," noted the report.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune called the waiver "an attempt by the Biden administration to impose an electric-vehicle mandate across this country." Thune said it would have a devastating impact on the U.S. economy if not overturned.

Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom and other supporters argue that California, which has long struggled with some of the nation's highest rates of air pollution, has a right to impose regulations that help improve air quality.