Title: Supporting the clean vehicle emissions standards of the United States and defending the authority of States under the Clean Air Act to protect the people of those States from harmful air pollution.
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:
This concurrent resolution supports existing regulations with the goals of (1) reducing greenhouse gas emissions and oil usage, and (2) protecting national security and human health and welfare. The concurrent resolution also supports policies that will help meet these goals, such as policies that achieve maximum feasible reductions in oil use.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 65 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 65

 Supporting the clean vehicle emissions standards of the United States 
   and defending the authority of States under the Clean Air Act to 
     protect the people of those States from harmful air pollution.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 19, 2019

Mr. DeSaulnier (for himself, Mr. Lowenthal, Mr. Huffman, Ms. Barragan, 
    Ms. Lee of California, Mr. Blumenauer, Ms. Moore, Mrs. Davis of 
 California, Mr. Garamendi, Mr. Cartwright, Mrs. Torres of California, 
   Mr. Schiff, Mr. Rush, Ms. Gabbard, Mr. Panetta, Mr. Quigley, Mr. 
 Cleaver, Mr. Pocan, Ms. Meng, Mr. Hastings, Mr. Higgins of New York, 
 Mr. Ryan, Ms. Pingree, Mr. Sires, Mr. Engel, Ms. Hill of California, 
Mr. Nadler, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Ms. Shalala, Mr. Ted Lieu of California, 
  Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Meeks, Ms. Norton, Mr. Perlmutter, Mr. Rouda, Mr. 
    Welch, Ms. Brownley of California, Ms. Matsui, Ms. Judy Chu of 
    California, Mr. Case, Mr. Levin of California, Ms. Jayapal, Ms. 
   Sanchez, Mr. Costa, Ms. Eshoo, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Cisneros, Mr. 
    Lipinski, Mr. Courtney, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Thompson of 
California, Mr. Suozzi, Ms. Bass, Ms. Porter, Mr. Takano, Mr. Casten of 
   Illinois, Mr. McNerney, Mr. Bera, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Raskin, Mr. 
Khanna, Mr. Foster, Mr. Smith of Washington, Ms. Lofgren, Mr. Kennedy, 
    Mr. Ruiz, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Mr. Cox of California, Mr. 
    Cardenas, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Carbajal, Mr. Himes, Mr. Peters, Mr. 
Ruppersberger, Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Correa, 
 Mr. Gomez, Mr. Swalwell of California, Ms. Speier, Mr. Evans, and Mr. 
Scott of Virginia) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which 
          was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Supporting the clean vehicle emissions standards of the United States 
   and defending the authority of States under the Clean Air Act to 
     protect the people of those States from harmful air pollution.

Whereas Congress enacted the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.), which 
        requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to set 
        standards controlling air pollutant emissions from motor vehicles to 
        prevent the endangerment of public health and welfare;
Whereas motor vehicle pollution contributes to serious health problems faced by 
        the people of the United States, including--

    (1) asthma attacks;

    (2) heart attacks;

    (3) lung cancer; and

    (4) premature death;

Whereas through climate change, greenhouse gas (referred to in this preamble as 
        ``GHG'') emissions from motor vehicles contribute to other health 
        burdens, including--

    (1) worsened air pollution;

    (2) extreme heat;

    (3) increased spread of infectious diseases; and

    (4) exacerbated natural disasters;

Whereas all people of the United States are vulnerable to the health impacts of 
        GHGs, but many individuals and communities are at a greater risk of 
        experiencing those impacts, including--

    (1) children;

    (2) the elderly;

    (3) individuals with lung and heart disease;

    (4) low-income communities; and

    (5) communities of color;

Whereas recent reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and 
        the United States Global Change Research Program affirm the need to 
        mitigate climate change and its impacts;
Whereas section 209 of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7543) preserves the 
        authority of the State of California to set vehicle emissions standards 
        that, in the aggregate, are at least as protective of public health and 
        welfare as applicable Federal vehicle emissions standards;
Whereas section 177 of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7507) allows States other 
        than California to adopt the standards, which are, in the aggregate, at 
        least as protective of public health and welfare as applicable Federal 
        vehicle emissions standards, set by California in lieu of the Federal 
        requirements;
Whereas the Environmental Protection Agency (referred to in this preamble as the 
        ``EPA'') has authority under the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.) 
        to regulate GHG emissions from vehicles;
Whereas the States of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, 
        Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, 
        Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington have exercised the authority to 
        adopt, pursuant to the rights of those States preserved under section 
        177 of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7507), vehicle emissions standards 
        adopted by California that are, in the aggregate, at least as protective 
        of public health and welfare as the otherwise applicable standards set 
        by the Federal Government;
Whereas the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6201 et seq.) and the 
        Ten-in-Ten Fuel Economy Act (Public Law 110-140; 121 Stat. 1498) require 
        the Secretary of Transportation to set maximum feasible 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 automobile 
        industry have agreed to a coordinated set of regulations, known as the 
        ``One National Program'', that--

    (1) aligns, as closely as possible, the model years 2012 and later 
Federal light-duty vehicle GHG emissions standards and fuel economy 
standards with the light-duty vehicle GHG emissions standards adopted by 
California; and

    (2) sets achievable standards for light-duty vehicle GHG emissions and 
fuel economy that increase in stringency through model year 2025;

Whereas the EPA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the 
        California Air Resources Board have collaborated on an extensive 
        analysis that clearly demonstrates that the Federal GHG emission 
        standards and the Federal fuel economy standards adopted in 2012 for 
        model years 2017-2025--

    (1) can be met with a wide range of technologies;

    (2) are expected to be met with advanced gasoline technologies; and

    (3) will accommodate contemporary consumer purchasing trends;

Whereas, in January 2017, the Administrator of the EPA issued a final 
        determination to maintain the existing GHG emissions standards for 
        vehicles of model year 2022 through 2025, based on the extensive 
        technical record showing that those standards are appropriate and 
        achievable;
Whereas the light-duty vehicle GHG emissions and fuel economy standards of the 
        United States--

    (1) support more than 288,000 automobile manufacturing jobs across 
1,200 facilities in the United States;

    (2) keep automobile companies in the United States globally competitive 
as other countries adopt strict clean vehicle emissions standards; and

    (3) protect consumers in the United States from dirtier and more costly 
technology;

Whereas the transportation sector has surpassed the energy sector as the largest 
        source of GHG emissions in the United States;
Whereas the light-duty vehicle GHG emissions and fuel economy standards of the 
        United States, if fully implemented through model year 2025, will--

    (1) reduce the consumption of oil in the United States by 2,400,000 
barrels per day;

    (2) save consumers in the United States $130,000,000,000 at the gas 
pump by 2030; and

    (3) reduce GHG emissions in the United States by 470,000,000 metric 
tons by 2030;

Whereas the light-duty vehicle GHG emissions and fuel economy standards of the 
        United States protect low-income communities and communities of color 
        from being disproportionately affected by public health and economic 
        burdens; and
Whereas 87 percent of people in the United States--

    (1) support maintaining strong clean vehicle emissions standards; and

    (2) want automakers to continue to improve fuel economy for all types 
of vehicles: Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) supports the existing set of regulations, known as the 
        ``One National Program'', which contains the goals of--
                    (A) reducing greenhouse gas (referred to in this 
                resolving clause as ``GHG'') emissions and oil usage;
                    (B) protecting national security; and
                    (C) protecting human health and welfare; and
            (2) to meet those goals, supports policies that--
                    (A) achieve maximum feasible reductions in oil use;
                    (B) reduce GHG emissions from mobile sources;
                    (C) recognize the rights and importance of States 
                under cooperative federalism to choose to set and 
                follow vehicle emissions standards under the Clean Air 
                Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.) that are stronger than 
                those set by the Federal Government; and
                    (D) ensure that the President, the Secretary of 
                Transportation, and the Administrator of the 
                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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