Providing Congressional Disapproval of the Rule Submitted By the Environmental Protection Agency Relating to ``California State Motor Vehicle and Engine and Nonroad Engine Pollution Control Standards; the `omnibus' Low Nox Regulation; Waiver of Preemption; Notice of Decision''

Floor Speech

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Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak in opposition to H.J. Res. 89, which would nullify California's Low NOX rule. My Republican colleagues will talk about the supposed EV mandate and how California is forcing the rest of the country to drive EVs. This is obviously ridiculous. California's regulations are for California. We aren't forcing anyone else to do anything.

It is especially ridiculous to call California's Low NOX rule an EV mandate. The Low NOX rule for heavy-duty trucks does not mandate zero-emission vehicles. It is specifically and narrowly targeted to reduce NOX production which is a primary ingredient in forming smog.

Anyone who grew up in California knows the health impacts of smog. Thick clouds used to hang over our city, burning our eyes and lungs. We have come a long way since then, thanks to our State's strong pollution regulations.

California cities still take 5 of the top 10 spots for the worst smog pollution. Smog increases the incidence of asthma and other respiratory conditions, especially among children and the elderly. It is linked to a host of other metabolic, cardiovascular, and developmental impacts.

These impacts add up. Reducing smog-forming NOX is expected to have health benefits for California, saving approximately $36.8 billion in avoided health costs. That is not just dollars and cents. That is thousands of lives that will be saved if this regulation goes into effect.

California has long been a global leader in the fight against air pollution, recognizing early on the serious health risks posed by dirty air. For 50 years, we have worked hard to protect our communities through strong, forward-thinking air pollution regulations.

After establishing the first tailpipe emission standards in 1966, California established the first NOX standards in 1971, followed by the first particulate matter standards in 1982. California was also the first State to outfit vehicles with catalytic converters, a decision that transformed efforts to reduce harmful smog-forming emissions from vehicles.

The country has benefited greatly from California's leadership, not because California forced the rest of the country to follow suit but rather because the country saw the health benefits that California has enjoyed.

None of this would have been possible without California's leadership and California's authority under the Clean Air Act to set our own air pollution standards.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for clean air and vote ``no'' on H.J. Res. 89.

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