May 22, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact
Milagros R. Elia
Program Manager, Climate and Clean Energy Advocacy
Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments
914.455.1165
Nurses Respond to Senate decision to revoke California’s waivers for Cleaner Cars and Trucks standards
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today the U.S. Senate voted today in a vote of 51-44 to to overturn the ACCII (Advanced Clean Cars II), which mandates zero-emission vehicles by 2035, along with related waivers ACT (Advanced Clean Trucks) and HDO (Heavy-Duty On-Road).
This repeals the authority of California, which they have had for nearly 50 years, to establish vehicle pollution standards that are at least as protective as the federal standards. This follows last week’s U.S. House of Representatives vote repealing these same three waivers.
In response to today’s announcement, the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environment’s (ANHE) Executive Director Katie Huffling, DNP, RN, CNM, FAAN issued the following statement:
“The California waivers are essential for reducing toxic air pollution, protecting public health, and cutting climate-damaging emissions in California and other states that have adopted California’s standards. The Senate Majority’s decision to proceed with action using the Congressional Review Act (CRA), even though the Senate Parliamentarian and the Government Accountability Office ruled that these waivers are not eligible for action under the CRA. This demonstrates a concerning trend of Congress creating a precedent for applying the CRA to executive actions outside its scope. As nurses, we know that cars, SUVs, and trucks are the single largest source of ozone and particle pollution, which causes asthma attacks, heart attacks and strokes, premature births, lung cancer, and premature deaths. Nurses will continue to fight for healthier air.”
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The Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments is the only national nursing organization focused solely on the intersection of health and the environment. The mission of the Alliance is to promote healthy people and healthy environments by educating and leading the nursing profession, advancing research, incorporating evidence-based practice, and influencing policy.
