[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 42 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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115th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. CON. RES. 42
Supporting America's clean car standards and defending State authority
under the Clean Air Act to protect their citizens from harmful air
pollution.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
August 1, 2018
Ms. Harris (for herself, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Markey, Mr.
Whitehouse, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Merkley, Mr.
Blumenthal, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Carper, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Coons,
Mrs. Gillibrand, Mrs. Murray, Ms. Smith, Ms. Hirono, Ms. Cantwell, Mr.
Menendez, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Reed, Mr. Udall, Ms. Cortez Masto, Ms.
Baldwin, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Casey, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr.
Booker, Mr. Leahy, Ms. Duckworth, and Mr. Nelson) submitted the
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on
Environment and Public Works
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Supporting America's clean car standards and defending State authority
under the Clean Air Act to protect their citizens from harmful air
pollution.
Whereas Congress enacted the Clean Air Act, requiring the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) to set standards controlling air pollutant
emissions from motor vehicles and preventing the endangerment of public
health and welfare;
Whereas Congress enacted section 209 of the Clean Air Act allowing the State of
California to set vehicle emissions standards that meet or exceed
Federal emission regulations;
Whereas Congress enacted section 177 of the Clean Air Act to allow States
besides California to adopt California's stronger standards in lieu of
Federal requirements;
Whereas the EPA has authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions from vehicles;
Whereas the States of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland,
Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,
Vermont, and Washington have elected to set vehicle emissions standards
that are more stringent than otherwise applicable Federal vehicle
emission standards and can do so based on principles of cooperative
federalism pursuant to the Clean Air Act;
Whereas Congress enacted the Energy Policy and Conservation Act and the Ten-in-
Ten Fuel Economy Act (42 U.S.C. 6201 et seq.), requiring the
Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to
set maximum feasible corporate average fuel economy standards with the
ultimate goal of promoting energy savings and reducing oil consumption;
Whereas Congress enacted legislation requiring the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration to set Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards
with the ultimate goal of promoting energy savings and reducing oil
consumption;
Whereas the Federal Government, the State of California, and the auto industry
agreed to a coordinated set of regulations, called the One National
Program, that aligned these light-duty vehicle GHG emissions and fuel
economy standards as closely as possible and set achievable standards of
increasing stringency through model year 2025;
Whereas the EPA, together with the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and the California Air Resources Board, collaborated on
extensive analysis that clearly demonstrated that the existing standards
are technically feasible and can be met at reasonable cost;
Whereas in January 2017, the EPA issued a final determination to maintain the
existing GHG emissions standards for vehicles of model years 2022
through 2025, based on the extensive technical record showing the
standards are appropriate and achievable;
Whereas the administration must adhere to cooperative federalism principles by
meeting with key State stakeholders before impacting their State goals
on emissions and public health;
Whereas America's light-duty vehicle GHG emissions and fuel economy standards
support over 288,000 auto manufacturing jobs across 1,200 facilities in
the United States;
Whereas America's light-duty vehicle GHG emissions and fuel economy standards
are keeping United States auto companies competitive globally and
protecting American consumers from dirtier and more costly technology,
as other countries adopt strict clean car policies;
Whereas transportation has now surpassed the energy sector as the largest source
of GHG emissions in the United States;
Whereas America's light-duty vehicle GHG emissions and fuel economy standards,
if fully implemented through model year 2025, will--
(1) reduce American consumption of oil by 2,400,000 barrels per day;
(2) save American consumers $130,000,000,000 at the pump by 2030; and
(3) reduce GHG emissions by 470,000,000 metric tons by 2030;
Whereas America's light-duty vehicle GHG emissions and fuel economy standards
protect low-income communities and communities of color from
disproportionate public health and economic burden; and
Whereas 87 percent of Americans support maintaining strong clean car standards
and want automakers to continue to improve fuel economy for all types of
vehicles: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring),
That Congress--
(1) supports the existing One National Program, agreed to
with State stakeholders, with the goals of reducing GHG
emissions and oil usage, protecting national security, and
protecting human health and welfare; and
(2) supports policies to achieve that goal that will--
(A) achieve maximum feasible oil use reductions and
reduce GHG emissions from mobile sources;
(B) recognize the rights and importance of States
in cooperative federalism to set and follow stronger
vehicle emissions standards under the Clean Air Act if
they so choose; and
(C) ensure the administration, Department of
Transportation, and Environmental Protection Agency
solicit input from State parties impacted by any
changes to the existing GHG emissions standards for
light-duty vehicles and the associated standards for
corporate average fuel economy.
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