Republicans in Congress illegally vote to end clean air rules they can’t actually end
Republicans in Congress have voted to use the Congressional Review Act to roll back California’s states’ right to protect its own residents’ lungs and pocketbooks with better pollution rules.
But here’s the thing: Congress doesn’t have that authority because that’s not how the Congressional Review Act works, so the republican party is once again just letting everyone know that it wants to poison Americans and raise their fuel costs, no matter the legality of doing so.
We’ve heard plenty of stories recently about how the senile felon squatting in the White House wants to harm Americans. But in the last 100 days of the exact kind of incompetent flailing that anyone with half a brain expected out of him, relatively less attention has been paid to the attempts of republicans in Congress to poison Americans.
Well, they’ve decided to jump into the spotlight and remind everyone just how bad the entire party is, as republicans in Congress have voted to increase pollution and fuel costs for California and 11 other states.
The vote comes in the form of a Congressional Review Act (CRA) action withdrawing California’s “waiver” from the EPA, even though the CRA does not apply to the waiver. The House voted on the same resolution a few weeks ago, and the Senate has passed its resolution today.
For more than half a century, California has asked for and been granted this waiver that allows it to set its own emissions rules. Other states can follow California’s rules (and around 11 states do so, though that amount differs for each rule), as long as they do so exactly, and as long as those rules are stronger than the national ones.
It has this unique authority because California had its own Clean Air Act before the federal Clean Air Act was passed, and because the state had a unique problem with smog at the time and needed stricter rules than the rest of the country. So a carveout was made in the federal law in recognition of this.
California’s clean air laws have been effective in reducing pollution, with vehicle-based pollutants dropping by 98% in the last 50 years. But of course, there’s still more to be done, as the LA area remains one of the smoggiest in the country due to factors including geography, high car dependency, heavy shipping traffic, and a lack of public transitt.
Despite the protestations of industry at the time and since, these rules have not made it impossible for them to operate, or sell cars, or profit from selling cars, in California or any other states that follow its rules.
California’s newest set of rules is set to save Californians, and the residents of other states who follow them, hundreds of billions of dollars on health, fuel, and maintenance costs through 2050 by encouraging electrification – and of course will save thousands of lives due to pollution reductions. Republicans targeted not just California’s regulation on light duty vehicles (ACC II), but also some other truck emissions rules (the ACT and HD low-NOx Omnibus rules).
So, Congress has declared it wants to end California’s progress in protecting its own residents. Despite the massive improvement in health and air quality, and reduction in health costs as a result, republicans in Congress are once again making it clear that they favor poisoning Americans, so much so that they’ll even try illegal actions to do it.
The problem with using the Congressional Review Act in this situation is that it is doubly illegal to do. The CRA gives Congress the authority to roll back government agency actions, like those of the EPA, but it has been rarely used since its passing, since doing so results in a dysfunctional government and an unpredictable business environment.
But the CRA has a time limit, and Congress must act to reverse these rules within 60 days. The EPA approved California’s waiver on December 18, 2024, which is more than 60 days ago; therefore, we are past the deadline where the CRA can be used.
Further, even if it were within 60 days, the CRA can’t be used to reject California’s waiver, because it isn’t a “rule.” The CRA only allows Congress to change “rules,” and the waiver isn’t a rule itself; it’s just EPA telling California that it can set its own rules. Both the Senate Parliamentarian and the Government Accountability Office (the real government office that holds government to account, unlike Elon Musk’s fake and redundant “Department of Government Efficiency” advisory board), along with many, many others have recognized that this is the case, and Congress knows it. But hey, at least they have the oil companies on their side.
So, Congress’ action here is illegal, and doubly so, because the waiver is not a rule, and it is outside of the 60 day window. This action is also dangerous to your health, exacerbates climate change, and will raise Americans’ fuel costs and cede ground to China in the changing global auto industry.
Notably, one republican Senator, Mike Lee of Utah, correctly acknowledged that this is an illegal action, stating clearly that “California’s CAA federal preemption waivers cannot be reviewed under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) because the waiver granted by EPA is not a rule as that term is defined in the CRA.” However, regardless of publicly acknowledging that this cannot be done, republicans still did it anyway.
They know that this vote has no legal backing – but it still took the vote anyway, impotently screaming from the rafters “WE WANT TO KILL YOU!!!”… which apparently some people still need to hear.
But if republicans know this is illegal, why are they doing it? There are likely a number of reasons:
- To avoid the filibuster, which would give Democrats a chance to stand up for clean air, and which is not allowed for CRA actions (at least, within the 60 day window… which we are outside of, so that’s another way republicans are acting illegally).
- To avoid having to amend or repeal the Clean Air Act, which would likely raise more eyebrows from the few republican voters with any remaining rationality or self-interest. This action is harder to understand and therefore more likely to go under the radar.
- To show to their oil donors that they are aligned in their mission to harm life on earth.
- Likely as another meaningless entry into the republican culture war, where the party starts ridiculous fights over nothing in order to stop or distract from positive motion on changes that might help alleviate some of the plight republicans are constantly trying to force on Americans.
The vote was 51-44, with 50 republicans and one Democrat voting to harm Americans with this illegal act. The Democrat was Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, who voted for the measure despite the harm it will bring to the auto industry that is so important in her state, which will be made less relevant globally as it retreats in the face of rising competition from China.
The bill now goes to the desk of a convicted felon who is Constitutionally barred from holding office in the US, where he will undoubtedly mark it with his chicken-scratch, as he promised the oil industry he would do in exchange for a billion dollars in bribes (which he only received a fraction of).
California’s response may or may not involve legal action – despite that this is illegal, the CRA also claims that it is not subject to judicial review, which is a violation of the checks and balances enshrined in the Constitution.
California could alternately seek to achieve the same goals through other measures that have no Congressional oversight, such as charging higher registration fees for gasoline-powered vehicles (something which many states, including California, already stupidly do against electric cars, at the behest of, once again, the oil industry – and yes, republicans want to do this federally, too).
For its part, the California Air Resources Board, the organization responsible for California’s regulations, said “CARB will continue its mission to protect the public health of Californians impacted by harmful air pollution” after the House’s initial CRA vote. So, we hope that CARB will continue to act within the law, and ignore Congress’ violent action opposing clean air.
And California Governor Gavin Newsom reacted, stating “This Senate vote is illegal. Republicans went around their own parliamentarian to defy decades of precedent. We won’t stand by as Trump Republicans make America smoggy again — undoing work that goes back to the days of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan — all while ceding our economic future to China.“
Meanwhile, doctors, nurses, scientists, environmental groups, many businesses, people who recognize that they have lungs which they would like to continue using, and so on, generally support the strongest regulation possible.
More than 100 clean air groups sent a letter supporting the waiver in the face of republican attacks on your health… and another one led by the American Lung Association, and another one led by the Natural Resources Defense Council, and another one led by the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards. But who listens to those idiots when there’s oil donor money at stake?
That hasn’t stopped other bad actors from stepping in to show support. The auto lobbyist that represents virtually every car company, which calls itself the “Alliance for Automotive Innovation” despite routinely opposing electrification efforts, came out in favor of ending California’s clean air rules. This is despite the weasel who runs the organization, John Bozzella, appearing on stage to give a speech when the EPA implemented rules with similar goals on a national level.
Bozzella has long stated that he thinks California and the EPA should have the same set of rules – but his organization is the one that originally lobbied Mr. Trump, during his first period squatting in the White House, to shatter the single national standard that had been set up under President Obama, opening this Pandora’s Box to begin with. And in case you need a reminder, California ended up winning that fight, which somebody predicted well ahead of time.
And don’t forget: the Alliance Against Automotive Innovation’s opposition to EVs will signal the final nail in the coffin for the US auto industry. China is getting great at building EVs, to the point that other nations are desperately trying to put up barriers to stop them. But it hasn’t worked, and it won’t work. The only thing that will work is getting more serious about EVs, and trying to stop them ain’t it.
And, of course, the oil industry, responsible for untold death and destruction, has also arranged itself on the side of this illegal action to poison Americans and raise their fuel costs, alongside republicans in Congress. What a surprise.
We, at least, know what side we’re on.
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Xpeng has officially launched its new G7 electric SUV in China, entering the fiercely competitive electric crossover market with a starting price of just 195,800 yuan ($27,325 USD). The G7 is positioned squarely to compete with the Tesla Model Y and the newly unveiled Xiaomi YU7.
It is priced significantly more aggressively than the YU7, which shook up the industry just last week.
The G7, Xpeng’s seventh model, offers an attractive balance of performance, technology, and value, with an emphasis on the latter.
Like Lei Jun with the launch of the YU7 last week, He Xiaopeng was not shy about positioning the G7 against the best-selling Tesla Model Y.
He compared the specs and pricing with the leading premium crossover. Like Jun, he brought up Tesla’s comparison challenge against the new Model Y:
The G7 is powered by a single rear-wheel-drive electric motor producing 292 horsepower (218 kW), it achieves a 0-100 km/h acceleration in 6.5 seconds. Impressively, the G7 can cover between 602 km and 702 km (374-436 miles) based on China’s generous CLTC standard, depending on the battery option and wheel size.
Two battery options are available, both using lithium iron phosphate (LFP) technology: a 68.5 kWh and a larger 80.8 kWh pack. With Xpeng’s advanced 5C charging technology, drivers can recharge up to 436 km (271 miles) of range in just 10 minutes.
Additionally, the G7 supports Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality, providing up to 6 kW of external power, like the YU7 announced last week.
On the design front, the Xpeng G7 adopts the company’s second-generation “X Face” styling, featuring sleek running lights connected by a continuous LED strip, a closed front end for aerodynamic efficiency, and a distinctive “Star Ring” rear taillight design. Xpeng emphasizes the vehicle’s aerodynamics with a drag coefficient of just 0.238 Cd, slightly higher than the Model Y’s 0.230 Cd.
Inside, the G7 embraces minimalism, replacing conventional buttons with a large 15.6-inch central touchscreen powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8295 chipset. A standout interior feature is the expansive 87-inch augmented reality head-up display (AR-HUD), developed in collaboration with Huawei, that significantly enhances navigation and driving assistance.
Practicality is emphasized with ample cargo space: an 819-liter trunk that expands to 2,277 liters with the seats folded, plus an additional 120-liter compartment beneath the trunk floor and a modest 42-liter front trunk (frunk).
Xpeng is touting an adaptive AI-driven suspension system that actively adjusts to road conditions within milliseconds, allegedly surpassing comfort benchmarks set by the Mercedes-Benz GLE and Tesla Model Y. Cabin quietness also ranks high on Xpeng’s list of priorities.
Luxury and convenience features include dual 50W wireless phone chargers, a 20-speaker premium audio system, and a panoramic sunroof. Passengers in the second row enjoy premium touches like an 8-inch control screen, individual climate settings, a foldable table, and wireless charging.
The top-tier “Ultra” variant employs two proprietary Turing AI chips capable of delivering a massive 2,250 TOPS of computing power, enabling advanced Level 3 autonomous driving capabilities set to become active via an OTA update by December 2025, pending regulatory approval. Standard versions use dual Nvidia Orin-X chips with 508 TOPS.
The Xpeng G7 starts at 195,800 yuan ($27,325 USD) for the base “Max” variant with 602 km of range, stepping up to 205,800 yuan ($28,720 USD) for the longer-range “Max” (702 km) and topping out at 225,800 yuan ($31,510 USD) for the high-end “Ultra” trim.
Customers ordering the G7 Ultra before July 31 will receive complimentary upgrades including Nappa leather and power door handles.
G7 quickly demonstrated its popularity by securing 10,000 pre-orders in just 46 minutes.
Electrek’s Take
It’s not 200,000 orders within 3 minutes like the YU7, but Xpeng doesn’t have the brand power that Xiaomi has.
Nonetheless, it is pretty impressive.
The price is insane. The specs are competitive with the Model Y, which starts at 263,500 yuan and ranges up to 313,500 yuan ($36,770 – 43,750 USD), but the price starts at about $10,000 USD less.
Between this, the YU7 last week, and a few more models launching this month, the premium crossover segment is about to get crowded in China.
I think the Model Y is in serious trouble in China. We are about to see how it fares with real competition.
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Tesla’s humanoid robot program, Optimus, is reportedly in disarray amid the departure of the senior vice president in charge, Milan Kovac.
Production has been delayed due to a new redesign, as the robot has yet to prove useful in Tesla’s factories.
Elon Musk has previously set a goal for Tesla to produce 5,000 to 10,000 Optimus humanoid robots this year.
The goal has reportedly been delayed as sources within the Chinese supply chain report Tesla informed suppliers of a 2-month halt on orders.
AI Invest first reported the news, and The Information later corroborated the report:
Two supplier sources said Tesla has not explicitly stated it will reduce robot parts orders but will wait until the Optimus design adjustments are completed before finalizing a new mass production plan and resuming procurement. The adjustments may take two months. Musk recently stated on social media that the new version of Optimus has seen significant improvements over the second-generation Optimus unveiled in 2023 and now includes voice interaction powered by Grok.
The news came after we learned that Milan Kovac, the head of the Optimus program left Tesla last month, just months after being promoted to senior vice-president by Musk.
The new reports confirm that Ashok Elluswamy, who was elevated to senior vice-president in charge of self-driving at the same time as Kovac, is taking over responsabilities.
AI Invest reported some concerns from Tesla about Optimus that reportedly trickled down to Chinese suppliers:
According to Tesla’s feedback to suppliers, Optimus still faces hardware challenges, including overheating in some joint motors, low load capacity in dexterous hands, short lifespan of transmission components, and limited battery life. Tesla is currently evaluating samples from multiple dexterous hand suppliers, testing at least three different technical approaches. On the software side, Tesla may use more synthetic data to train the robot model, improving Optimus’ autonomous operation capabilities and success rate in performing complex tasks.
According to the report, Tesla had secured parts to build over 1,000 Optimus robots earlier this year and built quite a few, but they are currently only used “for moving batteries in Tesla’s battery workshops, with efficiency less than half that of human workers.”
The redesign is expected to delay plans by at least two months and could push many of Tesla’s goals.
However, Tesla is expected to still move ahead with the prgroam and it is likely to unveil the new generation of Optimus robots at its shareholders meeting this year.
Electrek’s Take
As I previously stated, I’m actually quite hyped for humanoid robots, but I don’t think they will be nearly as big as Musk claims and I simply don’t see Tesla having a significant advantage over the competition, which is significant.
Companies like Unitree are already selling robots, Figure has made impressive progress and poached from Tesla, then there’s Boston Dynamics and dozens more.
Kovac leaving just as Tesla is supposed to ramp-up production to 50,000 units next and make this a “multi-trillion-dollar” product is a red flag.The engineer would have certainly received sweet stock option packages when he was elevated to SVP and would have likely made a fortune if he would have been able to deliver on Musk’s goals.
But I think the real product at Tesla now is the stock – hence why they reportedly plan to unveil the next generation of the robot at the shareholders meeting and have it do another shady demostration, like it did at the ‘We, Robot’ event where the robots were remotely controlled by humans.
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Honda is stepping up its electric scooter game with the launch of its second electric model for Europe, the CUV e:. Following Honda’s previous debut of the EM1 e:, a compact, city-focused moped, the CUV e: brings more power, more range, and more real-world usability to riders who want a practical electric alternative to a 125cc scooter.
Now finally ready for the spotlight, the CUV e: is built on an underbone-style frame and powered by a 6 kW side-mounted electric motor producing 22 Nm of torque. That puts it squarely in the 125cc-equivalent category, allowing it to reach a top speed of 83 km/h (52 mph).
It’s not built for the highway, but rather for urban and suburban riders who want to achieve speeds seen on the fastest of urban roads and keep up with just about any traffic in the city. For that role, it looks like a solid performer – more than capable of keeping up with city traffic or carrying a second passenger.
One of the most useful features, especially for urban residents and apartment dwellers, is its use of Honda’s Mobile Power Pack e: swappable battery system. The scooter carries two of these Gogoro-style removable battery units, each rated at 50 V and 1.3 kWh. Combined, they offer over 70 km (43 miles) of WMTC-rated range. Compared to the Honda EM1 e:’s single Mobile Power Pack battery, the dual batteries of the CUV e: give Honda the chance to pull twice as much power or offer twice the range.
Honda’s swappable battery standard is designed for portability and long life, with each pack weighing around 10 kg (22 lb) and rated for 2,500 full charge cycles. Honda has been slowly building a swappable battery ecosystem, and the CUV e: is clearly meant to be part of that larger infrastructure play.
Charging of the batteries is designed to be done easily off-board, either at home or at a battery station (where available). A full charge from 0 to 100% takes about six hours per pack, but Honda says 75% can be reached in just three hours. While fast charging would be nice, the swappable format means riders can keep an extra pair charged and ready if necessary, eliminating downtime altogether.
Honda didn’t skimp on features, either. The CUV e: offers three ride modes (Sport, Standard, and Econ), plus Reverse Assist for easier maneuvering. It includes a fairly spacious flat floorboard, under-seat storage, LED lighting, a USB-C port, and keyless ignition. Buyers can choose between a five-inch color TFT display or an upgraded seven-inch “RoadSync Duo” screen, which supports turn-by-turn navigation, music control, Bluetooth phone integration, and EV-specific ride data.
Positioned as a mid-range electric scooter, the CUV e: fills the space between low-speed mopeds and larger, premium e-motorcycles. It’s a key piece in Honda’s broader electrification strategy, which aims to introduce 10 or more electric motorcycle models globally by 2025 and reach full carbon neutrality in its motorcycle division by the 2040s.
With anticipated pricing starting at around €4,000 (approximately US $4,300), the CUV e: is expected to roll out in Europe first, with other global markets potentially following. Its combination of practical range, moderate speed, high build quality, and swappable batteries could make it an appealing option in cities where electric two-wheelers are on the rise.
If the EM1 e: was Honda dipping a toe into the electric waters, the CUV e: feels like a confident step forward. It’s not flashy, but it’s functional, well-designed, and undeniably useful, which is exactly the kind of machine that could help electric scooters go mainstream.
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