US Senate vote could have dire implications for CA air quality

California’s ambitions to phase out gas-powered cars and curb air pollution will likely hit a major roadblock today.

CalMatters’ climate reporter Alejandro Lazo reports that the U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote this morning on halting California’s electric vehicle mandate, following approval by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month. If the Senate revokes California’s waivers as expected, it could kick off a high-stakes legal and political battle between the state and President Donald Trump’s administration. 

The Senate debated the measures late into the night but put off their vote until this morning. At stake are three waivers California secured last year from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President Joe Biden. The most controversial one allowed the state to implement its requirement that all new cars sold in California must be zero-emissions by 2035; nearly all zero-emission cars are electric. The two others phase out new diesel trucks and clean up smog-forming emissions from trucks and buses.

Trump has repeatedly denounced the state’s mandate phasing out gas-powered cars, and tried to void California’s authority to limit car emissions during his first term. Even before Trump returned to the White House, the prospect of the waivers being blocked prompted state regulators in January to walk away from their plan to phase out diesel trucks.

Republican lawmakers from both Congress and California oppose the mandate, citing high costs to consumers, a lack of charging infrastructure and an unrealistic timeline. Some House Democrats, however, joined their GOP colleagues in opposition to the policy, including two from California.

But some experts, including the independent, nonpartisan U.S. Government Accountability Office and the Senate Parliamentarian, say that Congress’ tactic — using the Congressional Review Act to rescind the waivers — is not allowed under the law. That could lay the groundwork for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration or others to sue.

For over 50 years California has set its own stricter auto emissions standards because of carve-outs in the federal Clean Air Act. The arrangement is essential for the state — which has some of the worst air quality in the country — to combat air pollution. These exclusions are granted through federal waivers, which California must obtain before implementing each of its own standards. 

California community colleges have struggled for several years with scammers who use artificial intelligence bots to pose as students in order to obtain millions of dollars in financial aid. The issue has only grown worse in the last year, so colleges are considering a new tactic: Charging an application fee, writes CalMatters’ Adam Echelman.

On Tuesday the board of California’s community colleges voted to require all applicants to now verify their identities, which is currently just an option. The board also directed staff to look into an application fee policy — which many say should not exceed $10 — while stopping short of approving a fee altogether. 

California community college leaders face increased scrutiny from state and federal lawmakers to address fraud. California Community Colleges Chancellor Sonya Christian cited an April CalMatters story as part of the reason the system is ramping up its efforts. 

Read more here.

Following a court ruling, the Trump administration signaled it would back off its efforts to fast-track the deportation of three Guatemalan day laborers who were detained in California.

As CalMatters’ reporters explain, last month Border Patrol agents arrested the day laborers during an immigration raid in Pomona — about 200 miles north of the Mexico border. The administration planned to deport the workers quickly by retooling an existing policy that enables expedited deportations near the border and for those who recently arrived in the U.S.

But a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order last week, prohibiting the federal government from deporting the workers.

On Monday the feds said the workers were no longer being processed for rapid removal. The workers still haven’t been released from custody, but are now expected to have the opportunity to argue their case before a judge.

Last week’s ruling comes nearly a month after another judge temporarily barred Border Patrol agents in El Centro from conducting warrantless immigration sweeps.

Read more here.

Under the Trump administration, the National Institutes of Health has been terminating grant programs for colleges across the country. At least two dozen California public colleges and universities have lost training grants, including grants that prepare aspiring students for doctoral degrees in the sciences. Read more from CalMatters’ Mikhail Zinshteyn.