While you were drinking margaritas and perfecting a deep summer tan, something big happened—but there’s a good chance you never heard about it. President Donald Trump put an end to California’s “EV mandate” and “diesel truck ban.” These regulations, the all-stars among multitudinous similar legislation, called for increasing percentages of vehicles and trucks sold in the state of California to be zero-emissions (AKA electric). These aggressive measures required special permission (waivers) from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These waivers were granted during the Biden administration.

Trump signed a trio of measures on June 12, 2025, under the Congressional Review Act. The joint resolutions—H.J. Res.87 (Advanced Clean Trucks), H.J.Res.88 (Advanced Clean Cars II), and H.J.Res.89 (“Omnibus” Low NOX Regulation)—“provid[ed] congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency.” Signing these joint resolutions into law (Public Law No. 119-15, 119-16, and 119-17) voided the California waivers and the aggressive clean air legislation they sought to implement. Hence, goodbye EV mandate and diesel truck ban.

In a statement released the same day he signed the measures, Trump asserted that EPA waivers should only be granted to California for compelling and extraordinary localized issues—which do not include greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle emissions:

California’s attempts to impose an electric vehicle mandate, regulate national fuel economy, and regulate greenhouse gas emissions are not eligible for waivers of preemption under section 209 of the Clean Air Act.  This provision of the Clean Air Act authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to grant waivers to California to address only compelling and extraordinary localized issues.  It can never again be misused to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, which inherently do not have localized effects, much less compelling and extraordinary local effects, or vehicle emissions across the Nation.

Furthermore, Trump claimed that the EPA can’t approve future waivers that are “substantially the same.”

The core of the waivers at issue are their authorization of California to regulate greenhouse gas and NOX emissions from internal combustion engines and to impose what amounts to an electric vehicle mandate across the Nation.  Accordingly, the joint resolutions prohibit the EPA from approving future waivers for California that would impose California’s policy goals across the entire country and violate fundamental constitutional principles of federalism, ending the electric vehicle mandate for good.

But has Trump really abolished the EV mandate? When it comes to government legislature, it’s never that easy. Cue the popcorn and settle in. Around the same time that Trump “end[ed] the electric vehicle mandate for good,” California Governor Gavin Newsom fired back with an Executive Order (N-27-25) that leaned harder into California’s commitment to clean air and reduced emissions through zero-emissions vehicles. This Executive Order calls for the development of Advanced Clean Cars III and other zero-emission technologies.

According to a statement by Governor Newsom:

We won’t let this illegal action by Trump and Republicans in the pockets of polluters stand in the way of commonsense policy to clean our air, protect the health of our kids and compete on the global stage. I’m signing an executive order to keep California on track with our world-leading transition to cleaner cars.

Clear as mud? Stay tuned as the saga continues. Enjoy your diesel truck.