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HB 5356

AN ACT CONCERNING THE REPEAL OF CALIFORNIA VEHICLE EMISSION STANDARDS AND THE UTILIZATION OF UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY VEHICLE EMISSIONS STANDARDS.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Tim Ackert and 11 co-sponsors

HB 5356 repeals California emission standards and adopts EPA federal standards, affecting regulators, automakers, dealers, and buyers, possibly slowing cleaner-vehicle progress.

REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Environment
#motorvehicleemissions
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Bill Summary · HB 5356

Summary — HB 5356

Title: AN ACT CONCERNING THE REPEAL OF CALIFORNIA VEHICLE EMISSION STANDARDS AND THE UTILIZATION OF UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY VEHICLE EMISSIONS STANDARDS
Subject: Motor vehicle emissions
Introduced: March 14, 2025
Status: Referred to Joint Committee on Environment; placed on General State Calendar (most recent action: 2025-05-13)

Main purpose / intent

HB 5356 would remove the State’s reliance on or authorization to apply California’s vehicle emissions standards and instead require the State to use the vehicle emissions standards issued by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The bill’s stated intent is to align state motor-vehicle emissions regulation with federal EPA standards rather than the separate, typically stricter, California standards.

Key provisions (based on title and procedural record)

  • Repeal of statutes or regulatory authority that allow the State to adopt or enforce California’s motor vehicle emissions standards.
  • Direction that the State shall utilize the EPA’s federal vehicle emissions standards (i.e., federal standards promulgated by the U.S. EPA) for applicable vehicles and model years.
  • Implied removal of any state-level requirements or certification processes tied to California’s standards (for example, differentiated greenhouse gas or zero-emission vehicle requirements adopted under California’s waiver of the Clean Air Act).

Note: The legislative text is not included here. The above reflects the bill’s intent as described by its title and legislative summary; specific statutory amendments, effective dates, affected code sections, or enforcement mechanisms would be detailed in the bill text and any committee substitute.

Who would be affected

  • State regulatory agencies responsible for vehicle emissions, air quality, and motor vehicle compliance (e.g., state environmental and motor vehicle departments).
  • Automobile manufacturers and dealers operating in the State (compliance and certification regimes may change).
  • Consumers and fleet owners (impact on available vehicle models, pricing, and incentives for cleaner vehicles).
  • Public health and environmental stakeholders (impacts on air quality and greenhouse gas emissions over time).
  • Local governments and transit agencies that plan vehicle procurement in line with state standards.

Potential impacts (likely, based on policy differences between California and EPA standards)

  • Regulatory uniformity with federal standards could simplify compliance for manufacturers and dealers and potentially reduce vehicle costs if fewer specialized models are required for the State.
  • If California standards are stricter than EPA standards for certain model years or vehicle classes, repeal could slow the State’s transition to lower-emission and zero-emission vehicles and could affect projected air quality and climate goals.
  • Legal interplay: implementation may interact with federal Clean Air Act provisions and previous state-federal waivers; potential for legal challenges depending on how the repeal is implemented.

Procedural / timeline notes

  • Filed: 2025-03-14; referred to Joint Committee on Environment (2025-01-16 appears as a referral entry).
  • Committee activity: public hearing (2025-04-15), committee substitute considered and reported favorably as substituted (2025-04-30), committee report distributed and filed (05-09/05-10).
  • Placed on General State Calendar: 2025-05-13. Next steps: scheduled for floor consideration unless further committee or calendar action occurs.

Where to find more information

  • Consult the full bill text and any committee substitute for exact statutory language, affected code sections, and effective dates.
  • Review committee reports and hearing testimony (recorded on 2025-04-15 and committee report materials from April–May 2025) for stakeholder positions and fiscal or environmental analyses.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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