Senate Republicans Go Nuclear to Keep Money in the Pockets of Polluters

Washington, DC — Senate Republicans are overriding a 50-year-old law that allows California and other states to establish vehicle pollution standards and protect their residents’ health. This action could have devastating consequences on programs reaching far beyond pollution standards and lead to higher costs for consumers by taking away options for more fuel-efficient cars.  

“Senate Republicans are going nuclear to let polluters off the hook,” said Climate Power Executive Director Lori Lodes. “Today’s vote isn’t about policy—it’s about power. It shreds more than 50 years of bipartisan clean air protections just to boost polluter profits. This is a direct attack on states’ rights to protect their own residents. It means dirtier air, higher health costs, fewer clean energy jobs, and a future where Big Oil wins and American families lose.”

 “Republican Senators are so deep in the pocket of their oil and gas donors that they’re attacking our democracy to protect their profits,” said Washington Governor Jay Inslee, Head of Climate Power’s Accountability Project. “The GOP will violate states’ rights and create yet another mess that Governors across the country will have to clean up. Their reckless agenda will increase energy costs, destroy jobs, and pump more pollution into local communities.”