Congress likely killed Colorado’s EV mandate, clean energy programs, environmental groups say

Congressional actions in the past week essentially killed Colorado’s electric vehicle mandate and threaten billions of dollars in solar and wind power construction meant to ease greenhouse gas emissions and ozone, environmental and state political leaders said.

Congress overturned an EPA waiver granted to California to allow that industry-dominating state to ban fossil fuel vehicle sales by 2035, a move that Colorado officials say also negates copycat EV mandates passed by Colorado and a dozen-odd other states.

Not only California, but all the other following states will lose their authority to establish standards more strict than federal rules, said John Boesel, president of the CalStart clean transportation trade group, in an interview. And the Trump administration has announced it plans to further reduce the already-weaker EPA targets for clean car and truck sales.

“The authority for California and other states to enact stronger standards has been an unqualified success,” Boesel said. “All of the states have been able to grow their economies while significantly improving air quality.”