House Republicans move to stop California from setting its own vehicle pollution standards

is a senior science reporter covering energy and the environment with more than a decade of experience. She is also the host of Hell or High Water: When Disaster Hits Home , a podcast from Vox Media and Audible Originals. The US House of Representatives voted to revoke California’s ability to enact its own, tougher pollution regulations for cars and heavy-duty trucks. It’s an attempt to kill one of the nation’s most ambitious climate plans and strip California of its ability to set stricter tailpipe pollution standards than the nation as a whole. But it’s not clear that Republicans are even on sound legal footing in trying to stop the state from enacting its own rules. “This vote is an unprecedented and reckless attack on states’ legal authority to address the tailpipe pollution causing asthma, lung disease and heart conditions,” Kathy Harris, director of clean vehicles at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a press release. “If other states don’t like California’s approa ... Read full article.